“You can’t force us to go into farming,” workers tell Imo, Benue governors
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has said no government can force workers to go into forming.
This is in response to some state governments’ decision to reduce working days in their respective states.
So far, the governments of Imo and Benue, have subscribed to the move claiming it will help boost agricultural production.
Benue State Government had directed its workers to return to farm on Fridays while Imo State earmarked Thursday and Friday for farming.
But the NLC thinks the move is illegal and unconstitutional.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, told NAN that “the policy is against all known labour laws and international treaties of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)”.
“It is something that we have already rejected and condemned, you cannot force people to go into farming.
“Even, if you want to do that, it must be through a process of consultation because there workers are not slaves.
“In industrial relations, the issue of consultation, collective bargaining is used before a policy is actually adopted, and in this case there was no consultation,” he added.
According to him, Imo’s new public work policy conflicts with the National Labour Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which stipulated eight hours for work per day and 40 hours of work per week in accordance with the ILO standard.
He said that the governor was known for non-payment of salaries to workers and that this might be strategy in the long run to cut down payment.
“Workers in that state are working under very serious conditions that are inhumane and therefore certainly, it is going to affect productivity”.
He warned that any state government that tried to enforce workers to act against the ILO convention or labour law of the country would be resisted.
.
