International Labour Conference commences in Switzerland

The International Labour Conference (ILC) is ongoing in Geneva.And the NLC, is represented by its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba. He used the opportunity of the event to speak on the state of workers in Nigeria.

He said that that the situation of workers in Nigeria is exacerbating, lamenting that the high and increasing cost of living, rising number of dependents given the deepening unemployment situation in the country is getting out of hand. The speech read in part;

 “We wish to state that the situation of the working poor in Nigeria continues to be dire and exacerbating. This is because of the high and increasing cost of living, rising number of dependents given the deepening unemployment situation, low social protection coverage, delayed payment of salaries amongst others. It is for these reasons that we have demanded and achieved the composition of the tripartite national minimum wage committee to deliver an upward review.

“We also wish to state that migration as an unstoppable human phenomenon will require broad-based collaboration, especially as we seek to ensure shared migrations benefits. For Nigeria and Africa, our demographic trends suggests that we will require assistance on youth’s skills development and employment creations opportunities”



“We wish to salute the efforts of the Nigerian government and the Joint Multinational Task Force on the determined collaborative efforts that has led to improved security and the downgrading of the capabilities of Boko Haram to wreak havoc on our people. We equally salute the courage and compassion of the Nigerian government to negotiate the release of another 82 of the kidnapped Chibok girls.

Nigerian government and security agencies will continue to enjoy our support as they work to ensure the release of all kidnapped persons and the total liberation of the ensure communities in North-East Nigeria

“We cherish the values and efficacy of dialogue. It is in this regard that we commend the continuous dialogue with our people in the Niger-delta by the government. This is yielding good results as sabotaging of petroleum facilities have substantially reduced and economic activities in the region picking up. Organised labour will continue to encourage and support the dialogue process as well as monitor the progress.”

The President of the NLC also used the opportunity to speak on the conditions of the workplace .

According to him, decent work was a solution to global peace, insisting that there could not be sustainable development without respect for human dignity, saying: “Similarly, we share the view that social justice through decent work is a panacea to global peace, as there cannot be sustainable development without respect for human dignity.
Mr. President, we are particularly pleased that the ILO has effectively realised that peace is essential to the pursuit of decent work, dignity and well-being. It is for this reason we commend the ILO for initiating the review of Recommendation 71 to use Employment and Decent Work to accelerate peace and resilience.”