The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sought the cooperation of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) to resist policies and practices that threaten their shared interests.
Congress said it was time both bodies acted to reclaim Nigeria’s civic space, which is shrinking under the weight of insecurity, repression and economic exclusion.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said in Lagos, during NECA’s 68th yearly general meeting, that a vibrant civic space is not a luxury but the fertile ground in which both businesses and workers flourish.
Represented by its first Deputy President, Adewale Adeyanju, the NLC President said NECA should imagine the transformative power they could unleash if employers and employees spoke with one voice for fairness and shared prosperity.
Ajaero alleged that the misguided attempts by some state governors and legislators to remove Labour issues from the exclusive legislative list portend a dangerous ignorance of the chaos the step will unleash on the system.He added: “Our unity is our shield. Together, we must defend the institutional integrity of industrial relations in Nigeria”.
With the recent 2025 ITUC Global Rights Index that has again ranked Nigeria among the 10 worst countries for violations of workers’ rights, Ajaero alleged that many of the violations occur within enterprises represented at the meeting.
He urged NECA to lead by example to uphold collective bargaining, respect labour laws, and reaffirm the dignity of the workforce.He equally called on NECA to join in the urgent task of domestication and implementation of the new standards on the platform economy, noting that a convention and recommendation for decent work in the platform economy was a step forward.
“But declarations alone are not enough. We must work side by side to translate these commitments into living realities that protect workers from the excesses of unregulated technology while capturing its benefits,” he said.
On the theme, ‘The Workplace: Influence of Technology and AI in Business Sustainability’, Ajaero said it could not be more urgent, as artificial intelligence reshapes the very architecture of work, they are faced with an elemental question: whether technology remains workers’ tool, or shall it become their master?
Noting that innovation must never eclipse human dignity, he said the brilliance of machines must never erase the worth, rights, and aspirations of human beings, especially workers who make every enterprise possible.
According to him, the promise of technology must be harnessed to advance decent work and social justice, not to undermine them.
“It falls on us, employers and workers, to craft governance frameworks that balance efficiency with fairness, productivity with compassion. Let us remember: the sustainability of any business is inseparable from the well-being of those who sustain it. Machines may drive processes, but it is people who build businesses and societies,” he said.
