THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned Nigeria’s poor global standing on workers’ rights, describing it as a national embarrassment after the country was once again ranked among the world’s 10 worst violators in the 2025 ITUC Global Rights Index.
NLC President Joe Ajaero, represented by Deputy President Adewale Adeyanju, made the remarks at the 68th Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) in Lagos.
“This is a stain on our conscience. Many violations occur within enterprises represented here,” Ajaero said, urging NECA to take the lead in upholding labour laws, promoting collective bargaining, and affirming workers’ dignity.
He called for collaboration between employers and labour unions to implement resolutions from the recent International Labour Conference in Geneva, particularly concerning the regulation of platform-based work and improved workplace safety.
Ajaero commended NECA’s Director-General Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde for his openness to dialogue, emphasizing the importance of partnership in achieving industrial peace.
He also called for NECA’s support in domesticating new International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, including those on decent work in the platform economy and biohazard safety.
Highlighting ongoing threats to labour stability, Ajaero warned against attempts to remove labour matters from the Exclusive Legislative List, calling such moves “misguided and dangerous.”
He concluded by stressing the role of workers in sustaining businesses, urging employers to prioritize fairness and justice: “Profit without people is an empty pursuit; progress without justice is a fleeting illusion.”