Bill against casualisation of labour passes second reading in senate

A bill seeking prohibition of casualisation of all forms of employment in private and public sectors in the country has passed second reading at the Senate.

The Prohibition of Casualisation Bill 2020, that was first introduced in the Senate in March 2020, is being sponsored by Ayo Akinyelure.

It specifically seeks to end all forms of dehumanising practices in the labour market, which the sponsor said has become a subject of great concern as many employees have suffered from “immoral strategy of cutting cost” by employers.

Ayo noted that the practice is common place in the telecom, oil and gas, mining, steel, banking and insurance sectors where Nigerian graduates are treated as second class citizens while foreigners from underdeveloped countries like Indian, Pakistan and Lebanon, with less qualifications to Nigerian graduates are placed as managers above Nigerian graduates, even in government establishments.

According to him, over 45 per cent of the work force in Nigeria are casual workers, making it imperative to save vulnerable Nigerians from the evil of involuntary servitude.

He argued that if the bill is passed into law, it would increase the percentage of taxable adults as well as boost the internal generated revenue of government.

ALSO, yesterday, the Senate, in a bid to checkmate exodus of doctors and nurses to other countries, considered a bill that would sufficiently address remuneration-related problems of employees of the federal medical centres.

The bill also aims to minimise revenue losses through medical tourism as it would discourage Nigerians from traveling to other countries for medical care.

The Federal Medical Centres (Establishment) Bill, 2021, was sponsored by Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed. Leading the debate on the bill, Ahmed said absence of a legal framework for regulation, development and management of federal medical centres to set standards for rendering health services was hindering provision of intensive, effective and efficient health care services to Nigerians.