The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC); Com. Joseph Ajaero has called for the review of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to include a social and labour protocol in order to accommodate concerns of workers for decent work conditions.
Ajaero stated this today (Monday) during the workers’ day celebration in Abuja.
He alerted that the objectives of AfCFTA would be defeated if the parameters of decent work such as, trade union representation, social protection mechanisms, social dialogue, living wages and workplace rights are not mainstreamed into the AfCFTA trade instrument.
He urged the Federal Government to listen to the voice of the workers,this is even as he commended the federal government for the efforts taken so far to make AFCFTA successful in Nigeria.
He said: “Organised labour in Nigeria commends the Federal Government for taking a popular position on our country’s engagement on the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“By listening to the voice of organised labour and other stakeholders, especially through co-opting labour in the national processes for engagement with AfCFTA, the government has demonstrated that we make better progress when we strive forward together.
“In order to consolidate the progress made on AfCFTA, we demand that the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement should be reviewed to include a social and labour protocol in order to accommodate the concerns of workers for decent work conditions.
” It is important to note that the objectives of AfCFTA would be defeated and cascade to a race to the bottom, if the parameters of decent work such as trade union representation, social protection mechanisms, social dialogue, living wages and workplace rights are not mainstreamed into the AfCFTA trade instrument”.
Ajaero also lamented the poor treatment given to Nigerian workers, he said “You cannot continue treating us poorly and expect a miracle from us. We are shaped by how we are treated as anything that happens to us in the world of work impacts us positively or negatively causing us to either withdraw or commit more to work.
” It is therefore very simple, if our social partners want more from us, if they want to increase productivity which is the basis for national development then, they must be prepared to treat us better. They must be prepared to treat us first as humans then, as major contributors to wealth creation”.
The NLC President also urged the out-going government of President Buhari to quickly sign into Law the National Research and Innovation Council Bill which will serve as one of the legacies of his government.
He explained that this will help boost research to generate much needed foundation for the nation’s quest for industrialization while noting that without research the quest for industrialization will turn into a pipe dream as this remains the basic infrastructure for technological advancement of any nation.
He said a nation is only as rich as its capacity for Research and Innovation.
“The NLC and TUC call upon the out-going government of President Buhari to quickly sign into Law the National Research and Innovation Council Bill which serves as one of the legacies of his government.
“We believe that this will help boost research to generate much needed foundation for our nation’s quest for industrialisation. Without Research the quest for industrialisation will turn into a pipe dream as this remains the basic infrastructure for technological advancement of any nation. A nation is only as rich as its capacity for Research and Innovation”, he stated.
