NAN-H-35
WFTU
By Chinyere Bassey
Lagos, Jan. 28, 2017 (NAN) Organised Labour has agreed to strengthen the presence of the World Federation of Trade Unions(WFTU) in Nigeria, to effectively tackle issues of poor wages, social security and capital flight.
The Organise Labour unions who are affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), gave their support to the initiative at a meeting on Saturday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was organised by the two central labour groups in the country to welcome the WFTU President, Mr Zwandile Makwayiba, a South African, to the country for the first time.
Mr Leke Success, Convener and Presidential Council Member, WFTU said that the aim of the meeting was to enlighten the labour unions on the fact that the federation would help to handle issues concerning workers and retirees.
“Foreign nationals who own companies in Nigeria maltreat workers, in terms of poor wages, lack of social security, capital flight, among others and enough is not being done to ameliorate their situation.
“That is what affiliate stakeholders have gathered to deliberate on and the Ministry of Labour and Productivity has given its support,’’ Success said.
He said that the WFTU was in Nigeria to strengthen the job of the NLC and the TUC in achieving a decent work agenda, rights of workers and unionization.
He said that the stakeholders were proposing to hold an African Regional Conference of the WFTU in July in Nigeria, which would address issues affecting workers in the African continent.
Makwayiba, who responded to questions, said that some of the problems such as outsourcing of workers, were also prevalent in South Africa.
He said that the WFTU had managed to convince the South African government to establish laws that would compulsorily upgrade a worker as a permanent staff after three months, whether the employer wanted it or not.
The WFTU president said that the focus of the federation was to end oppression of men by men and that it could be achieved through the involvement of the society, not Labour alone. (NAN)
CHIN/PIO/PIO
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(Edited by Idonije Obakhedo)