The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), is developing an implementation action plan for the Nigeria Trade Unions’ Labour Migration Policy 2025 to enhance the protection of migrant workers and strengthen trade union advocacy.

The operational plan will address issues that are facing Nigerian migrant workers, such as recruitment abuses, irregular migration, lack of unionisation, and reintegration challenges.

The NLC insisted that the operational plan is needed to improve coordination, workplan alignment and policy implementation gaps.

The vision and overall goal of the operational plan is to engender a fair, safe, regulated, and rights-based labour migration system that protects and empowers all Nigerian workers across migration corridors.

The NLC Migration Desk Officer, James Eustace, said the objective of the programme was to strengthen the capacity of trade unions in organising migrant workers, negotiation of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and advocacy for better return and reintegration of returnee migrant workers.

He added that the workshop is expected to contribute to the actionable strategies for sustaining capacity strengthening and proffer solutions aimed at reducing situations of vulnerability faced by migrant workers through negotiated CBAs for migrant workers.

Eustace further explained that the overall objective of the workshop is to strengthen the capacity of trade unions in organising migrant workers, negotiating CBAs, and advocating for better return and reintegration of returnee migrant workers, saying, “the outcome envisaged is to developed implementation plan and strategies for enhanced effectiveness of trade unions in Nigeria, advocacy for the protection of human and labour rights of migrant workers.”

Speaking at the opening session in Abuja, Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, said the plan represents a crucial step in translating policy commitments into practical strategies that will ultimately safeguard the human and labour rights of migrant workers.

The workshop, which is supported by the ILO-Action Project and the Free Movement and Migration (FMM) II initiative, is expected to bolster trade unions’ capacity to organise migrant workers, negotiate Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) on their behalf and promote fair recruitment practices.

The NLC scribe stressed the importance of effective social dialogue and negotiated CBAs as reliable instruments for protecting workers, especially the vulnerable migrants.

He argued that the collaboration provides a platform for discussing actionable strategies to sustain capacity strengthening and reduce the vulnerability faced by migrant workers.

He added that the plan will also enhance trade union engagement in national and regional migration governance frameworks.

Upah disclosed that one of the objectives of the policy is to enhance the effectiveness of Nigerian trade unions in pushing for the protection of migrant workers and their families.

He urged the stakeholders to develop a doable and sustainable action plan that can drive fair recruitment, establish decent work standards, and strengthen reintegration mechanisms for returnee migrant workers.

A labour expert, Inviolata Chinyangarara, who represented the International Labour Organisation (ILO), emphasised the need for transitioning from policy to practice by translating commitments into measurable and accountable actions.

In her paper, ‘How to Operationalise the policy areas/pillars in the Nigerian Trade Union Labour Migration Policy 2025’, she observed that labour markets across the region are facing challenges such as informality, evolving workplace dynamics, gender inequality, and persistent deficiencies in decent work.

She argued that despite governments’ commitments to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and upholding regional labour standards, systemic challenges persist.

However, Chinyangarara acknowledged that achieving the set objectives requires more than mere good intentions, stressing the need for inclusive, jointly developed implementation plans that clearly allocate responsibilities and establish mechanisms for monitoring, learning, and accountability.

Due to its large population, Nigeria continues to be one of Africa’s largest sources of migrant workers, with thousands seeking employment opportunities in West Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and beyond.

While labour migration significantly contributes to remittance inflows, which currently stand at about $600 monthly, with the target of one billion dollars monthly, this also exposes many workers to exploitative recruitment practices, contract substitution, unsafe working conditions, and limited access to legal protection abroad.

Dangerous and exploitative practices such as trafficking in persons, excessive recruitment fees, and abuse of domestic and low-skilled workers necessitate calls for stronger institutional safeguards.

Stakeholders in the labour migration policy admitted that sometimes migrant workers often fall outside the protective umbrella of collective bargaining and union representation, increasing their vulnerability.

The adoption of the Nigeria Trade Unions’ Labour Migration Policy in 2025 was, therefore, considered a significant milestone in repositioning organised labour to play a more structured role in migration governance.

Indeed, the policy aligns with international labour standards and global frameworks that place a high premium on fair recruitment, decent work, and rights-based migration management.

Stakeholders equally recognise the critical importance of the implementation phase, as past migration-related initiatives have faced challenges such as weak coordination, limited monitoring mechanisms, and inadequate resource allocation.

Michael Kandukutu of Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) said Zimbabwe’s Labour Migration Implementation plan aligns with frameworks such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Migration Policy Framework and multiple International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.

He added that the plan emphasises institutional reforms, bilateral labour agreements, portability of social security benefits, diaspora engagement and the establishment of Labour Migration Information Systems (LMIS).

While policy adoption indicates intent, stakeholders emphasised that measurable outcomes, such as improved collective bargaining coverage, fair recruitment compliance, ratified standards, and enforceable bilateral agreements, will determine whether migration becomes a means of achieving decent work or a source of persistent vulnerability.

Therefore, the implementation action plan is a roadmap that aims to incorporate migrant worker protection into Nigeria’s broader labour and development framework.