NLC Demands Labour Justice, Judicial Accountability

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed the desire for greater access to Labour justice in the face of growing unfair labour practices in the country.

It said that the judiciary must be seen to be fair in its adjudication of labour disputes.

The position of organized Labour was canvased by the NLC president Joe Ajaero yesterday at the 4TH

International Labour Adjudication & Arbitration Forum (I-LAAF), organized by Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA).

While calling for greater access to Labour Justice, Ajaero said: “the judiciary must be blind to class but unfortunately, that remains to be seen. We say it must have 20/20 vision for justice!

“It must see clearly the power imbalance between the lone worker and the conglomerate.

“It must recognize the collective will of workers expressed through their unions as sacrosanct. A judiciary that is “blind” in the wrong way becomes an instrument of oppression, legalizing unfair dismissals, criminalizing strikes, and upholding contracts that are chains of modern-day wage slavery”.

Ajaero further said that, “When the courts become venues for delay, technicalities, and judgments that punish workers for organizing, they do not build trust.

“They breed contempt. They force workers to ask: “Is this temple of justice also a tool of our oppressors?”

“When justice is commodified and accessible only to those who can afford endless litigation, the judiciary abdicates its duty”.

He said the failure of judiciary to protect the interest of labour unions often compels the workers and other actors to seek other means; or shortcuts which in most cases, is – “direct action, mass mobilization, and the legitimate, collective power of the working class”.

“When the doors of justice are barred, workers will find, and have always found, their own door. The history of every worker’s right; from the eight-hour day to safety standards; is written not primarily in court judgments, but in the records of strikes, protests, and steadfast solidarity.

“Therefore, to the judiciary and arbitrators here present, our message is this; To be genuine arbiters, you must first understand the terrain of conflict between the Rich and the Poor; between the Worker and his Employer. Your gavels must defend the weak against the strong.

“Your interpretations must breathe life into conventions like ILO C87 and C98 on Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, not suffocate them with legalese.

“Uphold the right to strike as a fundamental, inalienable human right, not a privilege to be bargained away,” he said.

Ajaero said that true industrial peace can only be built on the foundation of genuine justice, not fear or subjugation.