Nigeria has begun the implementation of a decent work programme to boost job creation initiatives, guarantee rights at work, extend social protection and promote social dialogue.
The scheme tagged, ‘Nigeria Decent Work Country Programme III (DWCP) 2023-2027’ is a four-year programme that was jointly developed by the Federal Government, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA).
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Director, ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Dr Vanessa Phala, said the process of developing the DWCP III was robust, inclusive, and consultative.
She highlighted that the focus of DWCP III is to promote decent work as a key component of national development strategies and to put ILO knowledge, instruments, advocacy, and cooperation at the service of the ILO’s tripartite constituents in a results-based framework to advance the Decent Work Agenda within the fields of comparative advantage of the ILO.
Phala further stressed that the DWCP is founded on the four pillars of the Decent Work Agenda which are promoting jobs, guaranteeing rights at work, extending social protection, and promoting social dialogue.
Therefore, the launch of the DWCP III was primarily aimed at sharing the priorities with all the relevant partners and informing Nigerians of the commitments to address pressing issues facing the country.
Her words: “The DWCP is a forward-looking document that speaks to the targets and priorities of government development frameworks. The DWCP is a tool to address the country’s social and economic challenges and ensure job-rich, inclusive, and sustainable growth. It is also an instrument that the government and social partners can use to mobilize resources needed to address productive employment and decent work.”
In his remarks, Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, while stressing the centrality of a decent work programme to the development of the country, observed that the emergence of COVID-19 has changed the economic and business landscapes due to its impact on national and sub-national economies, large corporations, MSMEs, and jobs globally.
He lamented the continued decent work deficits as highlighted in the diagnostic report on the decent work situation in Nigeria, saying, “Informal employment has become the norm while well-paying jobs that offer social protection benefits are the exception. Workers in the informal economy are exposed to poor working conditions, low pay, long hours of work and low rates of unionism.
“Other prevailing decent work deficits in Nigeria include the absence of efficient employment and job creation opportunities and condition of underemployment especially among the youths and women; high prevalence of child labour, forced labour and human trafficking; gaps in labour administration including the existence of obsolete extant labour laws and regulations; insufficient manpower and capacity for labour inspections; poor, unhealthy and unsafe working environments as well as gaps in social dialogue including the anti-union stance of some employers.”
However, he submitted that the implementation of DWCP III will help in addressing some of the identified decent work deficits.
He added: “The implementation of the Decent Work Country Programme Ill will ensure that existing and new jobs in both the public and private sectors are productive, provide opportunities for career progression and deliver a fair income and social security for the family. It will also ensure that the tenets of decent work are mainstreamed into all employment generation activities.”
Lalong believed the DWCP III aligns with Nigeria’s National Development Plan (2021-2025), which aims to accelerate and sustain inclusive and private sector-led growth in the country.
In his goodwill message, President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, said the pillars of ILO Decent Work Agenda are central to the attainment of a just and fair societies and workplaces that guarantee sustainable growth and harmony not just in the world of work but in the global community.
He maintained that the protection of fundamental and other rights at work is against the backdrop of the conclusion that social development is anchored inevitably on workplace productivity which in turn is a function of healthy workplace relations.
Ajaero observed that throughout the formulation phases of the DWCP III 2023-2027, NLC recognises the collective efforts of stakeholders, including government agencies, employers’ organisations, workers’ unions, civil society, and the international community, in shaping a future where decent work is not only a fundamental right but also a reality for all Nigerians.
