Nigeria

On 1 November 2017, Abdulmumuni Yakubu, the branch chairman of Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) at Kogi State, was assassinated by unknown gunmen at his home in Okene, Kogi Central senatorial district. The killing took place during the negotiations with the Kogi government on the ongoing strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike action of non-academic university staff unions in the state. Since the beginning of 2017 both academic and non-academic staff were engaged in nationwide strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike activities organised by NASU together with National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in protest against prolonged non-payment of wages. In reaction to Yakubu’s killing, state chairmen of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) issued a statement in which they called on the authorities to ensure immediate investigation, condemned the lack of sufficient protection of labour leaders against violence and decided about suspension of negotiations with the Kogi government.

On 10 January 2018, the Kaduna State governor together with the state commissioner of police used several press conferences to threaten the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) with sanctions in case of organising organising The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one. solidarity protests in Kaduna State. On the same day, the state government declared that it would invoke the policy of no-work, no-pay on all those workers who joined the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike . The NLC planned to support the Kaduna NLC council, which had gone on an indefinite strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike to protest the sacking of over 21,000 primary school teachers for allegedly failing competency tests, organised in the framework of the so-called Public Service Revitalisation and Renewal Project adopted by the state government in 2017. According to the NLC, the tests were conducted without involvement of the relevant professional bodies such as the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria and the National Teachers Institute. The unions, particularly the Nigeria Union of Teachers and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, were also not involved. According to the NLC, the tests were organised by the Kaduna State government as a pre-meditated action to reduce the public sector workforce in order to apply for a World Bank loan. The state restructuring policy would affect, apart from teachers, around 4,000 local government workers and 8,000 workers from various state ministries, departments and agencies.

On 13 November 2017, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) grounded the operations of Dana Air Limited at the Murtala Muhammed Airport domestic terminal over the management’s refusal to allow technical personnel, including engineers and pilots, to join unions. The NAAPE picket was joined by all affiliates of the United Labour Congress (UCL). In reaction, the Dana Air management issued a statement denying employment of casual workers and anti-union practices and accused the union of illegal action.

On 19 July 2017, the Kogi State governor announced his decision to ban the activities of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Kogi State University, following the union’s refusal to call off a six months’ old strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike . The governor ordered the striking lecturers to go back to work immediately or lose their jobs and ordered the authorities of the university to monitor lecturers’ compliance to the directive.

On 16 May 2017, the Nasarawa state governor Tanko Al-Makura issued a statement ordering the prohibition of the activities of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in the state and describing it as an unregistered trade union. The statement accused ASUSS of inciting teachers against the state government in its communication activities, posing a serious threat to peace and order in the state, and preventing teachers from performing their duties.

On 21 June 2017, the Kogi State government confirmed the ongoing recruitment of an additional 230 healthcare workers, including medical doctors. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) condemned the timing of the recruitment, given that the state government was in dispute with the NMA since the beginning of May when the indefinite strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike action was announced by the NMA.

On 26 April 2017, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ogun State urged the State governor to recall the remaining four union leaders sacked over alleged infractions of the public service rules during the World Teachers’ Day celebration in October 2016. The State government had dismissed 16 and suspended 19 union leaders for their alleged partisan politics in the course of the celebration. The 19 suspended and 12 dismissed workers were recalled to their duty posts following appeals by concerned stakeholders. According to the NLC, the remaining four union leaders – Akeem Ambali, Dare Ilekoya, Nola Balogun and Eniola Atiku – must be reinstated by the state government.

On 31 October, 11 days after Ogun State workers embarked on 20 October on an indefinite strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike to protest against the non-remittance of 12 months deductions from their salaries, the Government decided to dismiss 16 union leaders, including the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the state chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT). The leaders were accused of misconduct during the 2016 World Teachers Day celebrations held on 5 October and, specifically, of publicly expressing support for one of the politicians and, therefore, organising organising The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one. the “political campaign rally” during the celebration. The Government denied that the action had any link to the ongoing strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike . The leaders were, however, reinstated a week after.

Police arrested two trade union officials of the Joint National Public Service Negotiation Council who were designated to monitor compliance during the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike by the Ogun State civil servants. They were later released following the order of the Secretary of the State Government who simultaneously issued a statement threatening to sanction striking workers who failed to resume duties.

Kogi State Government unilaterally ended the contracts of around 9,000 workers, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) state chairman, Onuh Edoka, for allegedly failing a “screening” exercise designed by the Government to identify persons who illegitimately benefited from civil service salaries or pensions. Mr Edoka was dismissed because he submitted the “wrong” bank statement. Some of the workers failed the screening because they did not submit a bank verification number. Although the Government claimed the screening process was transparent, the full list of reasons for the screening failure was not released.

Eight leaders of the National Labour Congress (NLC) in Oyo State were arrested by the police on charges of disruption of public peace and vandalism of public property for organising organising The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one. a strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike against the planned privatisation of public schools in the state. The amount of the requested bail was 200,000 NGN, so none of those arrested could meet the condition. Despite the protests, the State Government maintained the intention to further explore the development of public-private partnerships in the education sector.

According to the Trade Union Congress, most telecommunication firms in the country deprive their workers of the freedom to join trade unions. Workers are being hired under the condition of signing a declaration excluding the right to unionise. Such a practice appears to be widespread among all operators in the telecommunications sector present in the country, including MTN, Glo, Airtel, Etisalat, Spectranet, Huawei, Smile, Miicon Wire and Cable, Haier Thermocool, LG Electronics, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic and Nokia.

Several attacks on trade union leaders were reported during the ongoing National Labour Congress (NLC) industrial action industrial action Any form of action taken by a group of workers, a union or an employer during an industrial dispute to gain concessions from the other party, e.g. a strike, go-slow or an overtime ban, or a lockout on the part of the employer. in Ogun State. The dispute was a continuation of grievances that were taking place in 2014 and 2015, concerning delays of up to three years in payment of salaries, allowances, bonuses and pensions. The Ogun State NLC reported several attacks by government agents, including one on the NLC secretariat in Abeokuta, as well as public threats against trade union leaders, attacks and beatings of trade union leaders and union members both by the police and unidentified attackers. These attacks have forced a number of union leaders to hide in undisclosed locations with the effect of seriously impacting trade union activities.

On 24 March 2016 an advertisement appeared in a Nigerian national newspaper, the Guardian, in which TATA Africa Services Nigeria announced that Joseph Ogunyemi, former chairman of the Automobile Union, TATA Branch, was no longer in its employment. Mr. Ogunyemi had not been served a letter of termination. In a statement, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) protested at the announcement, believing it was motivated purely by Mr. Ogunyemi’s trade union activities. He had been repeatedly victimised by the company, having been denied benefits, denied promotion, arbitrarily transferred, and repeatedly subject to questioning.

In March 2016, the Governor of Kaduna state, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, issued a directive to civil servants, calling on civil servants to fill in forms to say no to union membership. The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council was quick to protest and to urge civil servants to ignore the directive. The Trades Union Congress of Nigeria threatened widespread industrial action industrial action Any form of action taken by a group of workers, a union or an employer during an industrial dispute to gain concessions from the other party, e.g. a strike, go-slow or an overtime ban, or a lockout on the part of the employer. unless the directive was withdrawn.

On 1 February 2016 policemen used tear gas to disperse protesting workers at the Linda Manufacturing Company, during which a woman was hit by a tear-gas canister in the face. The bridge of her nose was injured and she was taken to hospital for treatment.
The protest had started at about 8am by company employees in response to the dismissal of ten workers over the weekend, including members of the workers’ union executive. The General Secretary of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, (NUCFRLANMPE), Douglas Adiele, explained that the dispute with the management had started the previous week when workers went on strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike and demanded that the company stopped giving them unrealistic targets. The number of tasks to be completed each day had steadily risen from 160 to 350, and those who failed to reach their target were given demerit points. A total of 27 demerit points led to dismissal

The La Casera drinks company in Lagos sacked over 700 workers on 14 September 2015 for joining a union. The workers learnt of their dismissal when they arrived to find the gates closed and a notice put up by the company, saying “we regret to inform all our staff of their immediate disengagement”. The company blamed its decision on the “disruption of operations” by members of the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco of Employees (NUFBTE).
NUFBTE’s Senior Assistant Secretary and Head of Education Department, Mike Olanrewaju said that the company had refused on several occasions to allow its workers unionise. The union has written to the company about unionising its workers several times, no avail.
The Ministry of Labour had become involved at one point, but the company had resisted all attempts to allow its workforce unionise, and in an attempt to block the process, had even taken the union to the Industrial court. In the past the company had also dismissed all members of the steering committee on the unionisation of workers.
In the latest move, the company had reverted to its old tactics by sacking the chairman of the committee that was about to form the shop floor union. It was this that promoted the visit by NUFBTE officials to the company on 11 September, complete with membership forms. Management described their visit as the “unwarranted breaking-in and invasion of our business premises”.

On 17 August 2015 academic staff wrote to the management of Kwara State University (KWASU) to inform them that they had formed the KWASU branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). In their letter, signed by the chairman of the caretaker committee, Dr. Dauda Adeshola, the newly formed union members stated that “We pledge the loyalty of the union to the university authorities and the Kwara State government. KWASU, established in 2009, is about to witness union activities after a five-year waiting period stipulated by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and KWASU Condition of Service and Regulations.”
The response of the university was to issue a circular denouncing the union as illegal and clandestine: “This is to inform the university community that the management is aware of groups of KWASU workers holding clandestine meetings in odd venues in Malete in the name of cultism or combative unionism. ...The university warns all concerned that this is illegal under KWASU rules. No nefarious, clandestine group, no matter by what name it disguises itself, will be recognised by the university.” The letter went on to say that “peaceful unionism” would be ushered in, “in appropriate time”, with the participation of management...

The Association of Senior Staff of Bank and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) reported that in June 2015 Alpha-Beta Consulting Limited sacked over 300 of its 375 workers because they announced their intention to join the union in order to improve their working conditions.

The chairman of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) Aminu S. Kolawole, and secretary, Lawson Imotto , together with two union officials from the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) , chairman, Chukwu Jude and Kingsley Ejiogu, secretary, were dismissed in late April 2015 by the management of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL). Lawson Imotto was arrested and taken to an unknown destination.

The unions had been trying since June 2014 to review their conditions of service, to no avail. When the workers held a meeting in mid-April to discuss their demands, the General Manager intervened to disperse them, saying they had overstayed the time allocated. SAHCOL management claimed the four union leaders were dismissed for refusing to attend a meeting with managers and later a disciplinary panel.

On 30 May 2014 the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) urged the Federal Government to intervene in the protracted leadership crisis within the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN). NUPENG President, Igwe Achese, noted that the collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.

See collective bargaining agreement
agreement signed with IPMAN and Independent Marketers Branch ten years earlier was yet to be implemented due to the leadership crisis in IPMAN. The previous leadership of IPMAN had frustrated the union’s efforts to unionise workers in IPMAN depots. The union had written several letters to the federal government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the State Security Services asking them to intervene, without any positive results. It accused the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke of failing to take the issue seriously. The Department of State Security Services had intervened and the federal High court in Port Harcourt had declared Chief Obasi Lawson as the IPMAN President, but opposing factions with IPMAN had refused to recognise the court ruling. The Petrol Station Workers (PSW) Branch of NUPENG added its voice to the protest, pointing out that it had not been able to negotiate conditions of service for its members as a result of the protracted crisis in IPMAN. Although the IPMAN leadership crisis was resolved numerous problems remained, leading to strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike action in September and December 2014 over many issues, including unsafe working conditions, casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. and unfair labour practices, notably the transfer and dismissal of union leaders.

Two representatives of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) at the Abia State Universi¬ty Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba, were arrested in October 2014 for organising organising The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one. a strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike . The workers had been on strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike because they had not been paid since May and were going hungry. The union had written to the government and made several protests on paper. Nothing was done to resolve their situation, however, and so they applied to the police to be given permission to organise a demonstration. Instead of being given permission, the chairman and secretary of the union were arrested.

The Edo State Government threatened to sack all striking workers at state-owned tertiary institutions if they fail to return to work on Monday 22 September 2014.

The Coalition of Unions of the State-Owed Tertiary Institutions had declared an indefinite strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike on 17 September to demand their unpaid salaries, harmonisation arrears and other entitlements. In a separate circular signed on behalf of the Acting Registrar of the Edo State College of Agriculture dated 18 September 2014 and addressed to the chairman and members of the union of the institution, the school authority warned that any worker who failed to resume duties by 22 September should consider him or herself sacked. The strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike went ahead and 34 lecturers at one of the institutions concerned, the Institute of Management and Technology, were sacked.

Over 16,000 resident doctors, about 70 per cent of the workforce in government hospitals, were sacked by the government on 13 August 2014 for taking strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike action. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had called the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike on 1 July over pay and working conditions, in particular the suspension of their residency training programme that would allow them to become consultants. They were reinstated, however, as part of the agreement that led to the lifting of the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike on 24 August.

On 23 April 2014, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and leaders of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) warned the federal government and electricity operators that they would take industrial action industrial action Any form of action taken by a group of workers, a union or an employer during an industrial dispute to gain concessions from the other party, e.g. a strike, go-slow or an overtime ban, or a lockout on the part of the employer. unless anti-labour practices in the sector and the regular interruptions to the power supply were addressed. They were protesting in particular at de-unionisation practices and the victimisation of union leaders in the newly-privatised electricity industry. New management at the electricity distribution companies had threatened to dismiss 5357 workers for participating in strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike actions against the outsourcing outsourcing See contracting-out of jobs and inadequate working conditions.

When the leaders of NLC state councils met with the NUEE leadership on 23 April, they discussed the attempts by investors in the power sector to de-unionise the workers. The meeting also discussed the failure of the federal government to call the investors in the power sector to order and urge them to respect the tripartite agreement reached with the organised labour on 13 January 2014. The NLC and the NUEE called on the federal government and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to urgently order the reinstatement of all the union leaders who lost their jobs following the transfer of ownership. Over 50 per cent of workers lost their jobs in the privatisation process, and union leaders were among those targeted. The companies concerned included Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IEDC), Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC), Transcorp Electricity Ugheli, Egbin Power Plc-Kerl, Geregu Power Plc and Olorunshogo Power Plc.

In an interview given in January 2015, Jonathan Abimbola explained how he was forced out of his job as safety officer at the Indian owned and run company African Fertilizers and Chemicals Nigeria Ltd. because of his union activities. When he arrived at the company in 2011, he was appalled to see the hazardous conditions there and the lack of investment in safety equipment. Any attempt at reporting hazardous incidents, such as making a man work very close to molten sulphur with no protection, merely resulted in abuse and threats from management. Mr Abimbola soon realised he had only been appointed safety officer for the company to look good on paper. There was clearly no intention of introducing real safety measures. Mr Abimbola turned to the unions, initially the National Union of Chemical Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, NUCFRLANMPE, which wrote to the company and asked the workers form a union. The company’s response was to begin the mass victimisation of workers and union members, threatening them and warning them to withdraw from union activities. Then the company began to sack workers who were union members.

Mr Abimbola tried again, this time contacting the Agriculture and Allied Union of Nigeria (AAEUN), an affiliate of the Nigerian Labour Congress. He founded a branch union of the AAEUN at the company and became its chair. Trouble started very quickly, beginning with management making it very difficult for Mr Abimbola to carry out his work by demanding a gate pass for every part of the company. Then pay rises were given to non-union members, the highest going to those workers who spied on union members for the company. Union members did not get pay rises.
Victimisation of union members continued and the company continued to ignore safety procedures. An 18-year-old man, Mr Onyebuchi, died after falling into a water container. Even dealing with the police and the lawyers after the incident proved a struggle. Eventually Mr Abimbola left because his position had become impossible.

Over 400 members of staff at the Radison Blu Hotel were sacked on Tuesday 27 January 2015 by the chairman of the Hotel, Oba Otudeko, following their attempts to join the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC). According to the spokesperson of the sacked hotel staff, Abe Makojuola Daramola, a housekeeping supervisor, they had informed the hotel the week before of their intention of joining trade unions, but management objected. The staff went ahead and invited officials from the TUC and NLC to visit the staff in Lagos on 27 January to affiliate them to their unions. Management promptly sacked the staff concerned before the meeting could take place and on the night of Monday 26 January, on the orders of Mr. Otudeko, called in a technician to tamper with the power, plunging the entire hotel into darkness. Guests staying at the hotel were checked into other hotels, thereby paving the way for the over 400 members of staff to be issued termination letters, while the hotel premises was locked up and all activities suspended.

Nigerian unions have repeatedly expressed their growing concerns over the casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. of labour in Chinese-owned companies, with workers not able to stand up for their rights or join trade unions. The issue came to a head following the death of a 25-year-old worker, Nnamdi Solomon, at the end of September 2014. Solomon worked without a permanent contract for the Linda Manufacturing company, a Chinese firm that makes hair attachments. He was refused permission to take time off work to seek treatment for a stomach complaint, and did not dare do so for fear of losing his job. He was later found dead at the company premises. His fellow workers went on strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike in protest at his death.

Following the incident, the president of the National Union of Textile Garment Workers of Nigeria (NUTGWN), Oladele Hunsu condemned the widespread practice of casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. by Chinese firms and urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to set up a committee to examine what he considered to be one of the biggest problems facing workers and the unions. Casual workers dare not protest at the violation of their rights or join a union for fear of losing their jobs. The head of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Bobboi Bala Kaigama described casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. as a serious issue, and reported that the TUC had met with the Chinese embassy in Nigeria to discuss the matter.

The president of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW), Amechi Asugwuni, called a press conference on 22 October 2014, also warning of unfair labour practices, notably casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. , by Chinese construction firms. He accused the government of failing to enforce Chinese companies’ compliance with the terms of the contract for capital projects. “Casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. has denied our members the right to permanent jobs, to freedom of association freedom of association The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.

See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework , and the government is not putting in place the right policies and programmes that will promote a good working environment for workers in the country,” he said.

According to the Joint Action Front, Volkswagen Nigeria dismissed 25 workers after they went on a strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike over poor working conditions and the new company policy manual that does not guarantee workers’ rights as laid out in the labour law in May 2014. According to the company policy manual, workers must give six months’ prior notice when they want to resign as opposed to one month pursuant to the labour law. Workers also complained about not having received their medical allowances and gratuity pay.

In April 2014, new management at electricity distribution companies threatened to dismiss 5357 workers for participating in strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike actions against the outsourcing outsourcing See contracting-out of jobs and inadequate working conditions. Ibadan and Jos electricity companies argued that the companies needed to be restructured and insisted that they would not tolerate union presence. The NLC called on the government to intervene in order to bring an end to the victimisation of union leaders and members in accordance with the tripartite agreement reached on 13 January 2014.

The police harassed and illegally arrested and detained striking members on false charges. They had been striking since the 13^th of March to complain about the poor conditions of service and a plan by their management to outsource jobs.

The company dismissed 642 workers without conforming to the rules of disengagement.

The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Board and the State’s Health Service Commission (HSC) fired 788 doctors who had been on strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike since the 16^th of April 2012. A dismissal letter dated May 4, 2012, was issued to each of the doctors accusing them of misconduct with absence on duty without leave or reasonable cause. 316 of the fired doctors were working with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital while the remaining 472 were from other hospitals in the State.

In March 2012, trade union leader Bayo Akende was arrested by the Oyo State Government over allegations of mobilising workers against the government. Police Commissioner Tambari Yabo Mohammed considered his trade union activities as a breach of public peace.

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) reported that of the 123 companies in the free zones, only 5 had allowed the unions to organise workers and at all 5 companies, union leaders have been victimised and dismissed.

In January 2013, NUPENG and PENGASSAN issued notice of a 3-day strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike to start on 13 February if dismissed shop floor union leaders were not reinstated and union rights established in all companies in the free zone. The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, agreed together with the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) and the unions that companies would be given 90 days to comply with provisions in the law that require companies to allow for unions to be put in place.

A report based on research by the ITUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on “The state of trade unionism and industrial relations industrial relations The individual and collective relations and dealings between workers and employers at the workplace, as well as the institutional interaction between unions, employers and also the government.

See social dialogue practice in Nigeria’s Export Processing Zones”, published in January 2011, describes the respect of workers’ rights in the zones as “abysmal”. The study found that attempts by trade unions to operate in the 11 EZPs currently active in Nigeria were largely rebuffed by anti-union employers and workers fearful of losing their jobs, with only minimal success won after long and bitter struggles. Some attempts by union organisers in the Calabar EPZ export processing zone A special industrial area in a country where imported materials are processed before being re-exported. Designed to attract mostly foreign investors by offering incentives such as exemptions from certain trade barriers, taxes, business regulations, and/or labour laws. for example led to them being harassed, arrested and briefly detained.

The report also notes that the EPZ export processing zone A special industrial area in a country where imported materials are processed before being re-exported. Designed to attract mostly foreign investors by offering incentives such as exemptions from certain trade barriers, taxes, business regulations, and/or labour laws. authorities and most of the firms operating within them do all they can to frustrate any meaningful social dialogue social dialogue Discussion and co-operation between the social partners on matters of common interest, such as economic and social policy. Involves participation by the state where tripartism is practice. . As a result there are no distinct EPZ export processing zone A special industrial area in a country where imported materials are processed before being re-exported. Designed to attract mostly foreign investors by offering incentives such as exemptions from certain trade barriers, taxes, business regulations, and/or labour laws. collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.

See collective bargaining agreement
structures or agreements. Some employers, such as those in the footwear industry, are technically bound by sectoral agreements, but it is not clear whether they are actually implemented within the EPZ export processing zone A special industrial area in a country where imported materials are processed before being re-exported. Designed to attract mostly foreign investors by offering incentives such as exemptions from certain trade barriers, taxes, business regulations, and/or labour laws. s. Nor can this be checked very easily, as there is no effective labour inspection labour inspection An authority responsible for ensuring compliance with labour laws and legal provisions relating to protection of workers through the inspection of workplaces. of the zones. The Ministry of Labour and Productivity did send inspectors to the Calabar zone in 2008, after lengthy negotiation and the reluctant agreement of the Calabar Free Trade Zone authority. It found unfair labour practices to be the norm, but after being warned very firmly that companies would pull out if the findings were made public and that further inspections would deter investors, the Ministry decided to take no further action, and has since steered clear of the EPZ export processing zone A special industrial area in a country where imported materials are processed before being re-exported. Designed to attract mostly foreign investors by offering incentives such as exemptions from certain trade barriers, taxes, business regulations, and/or labour laws. s.

A study entitled “Oil and Casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. of Labor in the Niger Delta” by the US Solidarity Center depicts the social erosion affecting the lives of Nigerian oil workers due to casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. , or contract or outsourced work. “There is an industry-wide shift away from regular, full-time work toward forms of cheaper temporary labour and short-term contracting”, notes the executive summary. The 36-page study says that under one-half of the country’s oil and gas workers are unionised, down from 60% in 2003. “The casualisation casualisation The practice of increasing the flexibility of the workforce by replacing permanent, full-time workers with workers on temporary, irregular contracts. model enables employers to ignore workplace standards and workers’ social needs and to create a strong barrier against workplace organising organising The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one. ” says the study. The oil industry has a history of anti-union attitudes, including replacing union members with contract workers.

On 3 and 4 February members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and National Gas Workers (NUPENG) shut down two worksites operated by Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), ExxonMobil’s subsidiary in Nigeria, to protest against the sacking of casual workers by Mobil’s contractors and the company’s failure to address the matter with unions first. Since September 2009, up to 100 Nigerian nationals have been sacked by contractors serving under MPN after taking part in a collective protest to gain fair remuneration, while other contractors have sacked Nigerian nationals from full-time positions, replacing them with casual workers. The sackings are not just of junior staff, but also of highly skilled and experienced nationals in technical, engineering, administrative, and commercial positions.

In March, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) reported that many companies had done away with full-time junior staff in their employment, including MPN, which phased out NUPENG members in favour of contract staffing. The ICEM reported that further to the February strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike by NUPENG and PENGASSAN, MPN converted some 10% of all casual workers to full-time staff. However, in November, 66 members of NUPENG and 18 members of PENGASSAN were sacked by MPN ostensibly as a cost-cutting exercise. The unions believed this was an act of discrimination against union members and Nigerian workers, following the pattern of replacing national workers with expatriates.

PENGASSAN and NUPENG also report that prominent oil and gas servicing companies Baker Hughes Nigeria Ltd., BJ Services and Mak Mera Nigeria Limited (Shell Nigeria) have persistently resisted the unions’ attempts to obtain recognition recognition The designation by a government agency of a union as the bargaining agent for workers in a given bargaining unit, or acceptance by an employer that its employees can be collectively represented by a union. for their respective unions with the view of negotiating collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.

See collective bargaining agreement
agreements.

In a petition to the senate committee on financial institutions in February, the Association of Bank, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) reported on anti-union attitudes in the finance industry, including the inclusion of non-union clauses in the employees’ term of employment.

While the government and some employers may agree to collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.

See collective bargaining agreement
, they generally fail to honour the agreements made, leading to many strikes. In September 2009, lecturers from the Abeokuta University of Agriculture, in the Ogun State, took to the streets in protest at the government’s continued refusal to sign an agreement it reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2001. Police permission is required prior to a strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike , but is rarely given. The use of security forces to intimidate, harass and arrest strikers, often accompanied by the use of violence against trade unionists prior to or during strikes or protests, seriously undermines the right to strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike . When doctors at public hospitals in Lagos went on strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike in May 2009 to protest over poor pay and working conditions, they were subjected to vicious attacks according to their spokesperson Ibrahim Olaifa. At least one doctor was left in a critical condition after being physically attacked.