Abuja - October 18 - Mediaage NG News – Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, has assured Labour unions that the government is concerned of their grievances and is intentional to resolving them.
Lalong spoke in his office while receiving the leadership of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), led by its national president, Comrade Olusoji Oluwole, on a courtesy visit. He said the President Bola Tinubu led government has expeditiously put in place processes that will ease the current challenges faced by Nigerian workers.
The Minister reassured the Association that their concerns were receiving the undivided attention of the Federal Government.
“We are already putting things in order to ensure that within the period of our tenure, we will do our best to address some of the issues you have raised.”
Earlier, the President of ASSBIFI, Comrade Olusoji Oluwole, had presented the concerns of the Association, and implored the Minister to bring a resolution to them”, Lalong said.
On his part, Mr. Oluwole called on the federal government to enforce existing Labour laws, as many employer organisations flout them, especially by denying the employees the right of association.
He also stated the need for government to revive discussions on their sectoral collective bargaining agreement to come up with a reviewed document that would be signed by all parties, as the agreement, which is supposed to be reviewed every two years, had not been reviewed in a decade.
According to him, some organisations flout the agreement on the ground that it is outdated, or they claim not to be party to the signing.
The Association also asked for the enforcement of guidelines on casualisation, in order to protect Nigerian workers who are employed on casual basis, and to pave way for them to develop and grow within their organisations.