Decent work: TUC tackles employers over casualisation, poor wages

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has challenged employers to stop exploiting workers through excessive casualisation, poor remuneration, unsuitable working conditions and victimisation, calling on the Federal Government to strengthen enforcement of labour standards across the country.

TUC president, Comrade Festus Osifo, who made the call as workers marked the World Day for Decent Work, urged employers to stop taking advantage of high unemployment and workers’ vulnerability to impose unacceptable conditions of service on their employees.

He also tasked the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment with ensuring that employers comply with labour laws through regular workplace inspections and appropriate enforcement measures.

Osifo said while employers providing decent working conditions deserved commendation, those subjecting workers to poor treatment should change their practices in the interest of workers’ welfare and national development.

“Those who are not providing decent work — those who just feel that there is no work in Nigeria, that they can employ anybody and place them in very uninhabitable offices, fail to provide them with the necessary tools to work, victimise them every now and then, and also pay them abysmal salaries — we are calling on them to act, and to act swiftly,” he said.

The TUC president warned employers against exploiting the desperation of job seekers to engage workers under unfavourable conditions, as the existence of widespread unemployment should not become an excuse for denying employees their rights.

He particularly condemned excessive casualisation, arguing that employers should not assume that workers would accept any terms of employment simply because alternative job opportunities were limited.

“And part of decent work is that people should not be abysmally casualised. You cannot casualise the workforce because you think that whatever you give workers, they are going to accept it,” Osifo said.

He added that the labour centre frowned on cheap labour and child labour, insisting that employers had a responsibility to provide acceptable working conditions and respect the dignity of their workforce.

The TUC president’s position places the spotlight on persistent labour concerns surrounding insecure employment, inadequate pay and workplace conditions, which can undermine workers’ welfare and their ability to meet basic living expenses.

He maintained that the responsibility for ensuring decent work extended beyond employers to the government agency responsible for enforcing labour standards.

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Osifo, therefore, called on the Ministry of Labour to intensify its monitoring of workplaces and ensure that employers complied with the law.

“The needful must be done by these organisations, and we call on the Ministry of Labour to enforce the law and ensure that every single employer in Nigeria provides a decent environment for people to work,” he said.

He urged the ministry to inspect workplaces to establish whether employers were meeting their obligations to employees, rather than allowing unfair labour practices to persist.

“They must be able to inspect every place of work to ensure that these employers are doing the needful,” he added.

The ministry’s Inspectorate Department is responsible for conducting labour inspections in industrial, agricultural and commercial workplaces to enforce national labour standards. Its responsibilities also include enforcing child labour policies and advising employers and workers on compliance with labour laws.

Osifo’s call comes amid broader concerns over workers’ purchasing power and the adequacy of wages in the face of rising living costs.

At a separate point during the briefing, the TUC president argued that employers should not treat the national minimum wage as a ceiling on workers’ earnings, maintaining that organisations could pay above the statutory minimum where their operations and circumstances permitted.

He also said the Federal Government could improve the salaries and allowances of its employees without waiting for negotiations on a new national minimum wage.

The current national minimum wage framework is due for review in 2027, but Osifo maintained that government and employers could take measures to improve workers’ welfare before then.

The TUC president, however, stressed that decent work involved more than the payment of salaries, pointing to the need for suitable working environments, adequate tools, fair treatment and protection from exploitation.

He also congratulated Nigerian workers on the occasion, acknowledging their contributions to the country’s development.

Osifo further paid tribute to teachers in recognition of World Teachers’ Day, observed a few days earlier, noting their contribution to shaping the lives and careers of Nigerians.

He called for greater recognition of their service, saying their rewards should be evident not only in the hereafter but also in their lives on earth.