Review of Nigeria’s labour laws crucial to industrial harmony-NICN
By Joy Obakeye
The President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN, Honourable Justice Benedict Bakwaph Kanyib has stressed the need for a constant review of labour laws to meet international standard.
Justice Kanyib stated in his Keynote address at the first National Labour Adjudication Forum put together by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), the need to address contentious issues in the labour sector between employers and employees.
Justice Kanyib, explained that the legislative arm of government has set the ball rolling as the jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court has been expanded from mere trade disputes, inter and intra union dispute, to cover many areas.
He said with the dynamism of the law in settling disputes to satisfy both employers and employees, the Court often times has to rely on benchmark of the International Labour Organisation ILO.
Justice Kanyib said adjudication cannot be static, hence many relevant laws and judgements have to be relied on in giving judgement that meet international standard. He challenged lawyers to go back to school to study the new labour jurisprudence so as to be current.
Speaking earlier, the President of NECA, Taiwo Adeniyi noted that industrial peace is the key to national development.
“Nigeria has had its own share of industrial unrest both in the public and private sectors. The implications of such industrial actions are well known and need not be reiterated here.
“As stakeholders in the workplace and national development, we must constantly find a middle ground of compromise, whereby with a win-win prospective , we all advance our sometimes different objectives.
“We all have a common responsibility to align our divergent views, consolidate our interests and put to use the machineries of conflict resolution as enshrined in various status to attain national economic development.”
READ ALSO: PDP: I did not issue any report on Rivers State
“While we continue to consolidate our partnership and collaboration with organised labour, we must say that the end need to deepen the partnership and collaboration is imperative more than ever before as the nation faces critical issues in the coming months.”
While commending NECA, the outgoing President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, disclosed that for Nigeria to be on the new forms of work, to address the labour adjudication challenges, workers should be ready to partner with employers to see how to make businesses profitable but, he said: “We must also share in the surplus that businesses are making.
“The whole thinking of modern day industrial relationship is the relationship between an employer and employee where employees will be willing to make sure that no employers runs business at a loss,” he stressed.
