- Safiu Kehinde
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned and rejected the newly adopted National Industrial Relations Policy by the Federal Government.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday in Abuja, Joe Ajaero, NLC President expressed shock over the new policy which will, according to him, make embarking on strike a criminal issue and silence trade unions.
Ajaero recalled earlier attempts, during the development of the National Industrial Relations Policy for Nigeria, to insert certain clauses that criminalised strike actions.
He said the trade unions, employers, and the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Labour rejected such insertions as anomalous to the 1999 Constitution and the Trade Unions Act.
The NLC President held that the constitution and trade union act give trade unions the power to withdraw their services in line with the law.
He described the fresh insertion into the National Industrial Relations Policy as inferior to the Constitution and Trade Union Act.
“NLC considers the statement by the Federal Government that the newly adopted National Industrial Relations Policy is aimed at stopping frequent industrial actions, particularly strikes by trade unions, as very reprehensible.
“The statement was part of the press release by the Federal Government at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which took place on 31st July 2025.
“We are in shock that from a catalogue of hundreds of workplace issues contained in the National Industrial Relations Policy, the Federal Government singled out industrial strikes as its headache.
“The right of a worker and trade unions to withdraw their services is fundamental and inalienable.
“The NLC and Organised Labour in Nigeria condemn and reject the new law in industrial relations in Nigeria” the NLC President wrote.
Ajaero assured Nigerian workers that the leadership of the congress and the labour movement remained watchful on their mandate of protecting the rights, interests and hard-won industrial liberties of workers.
According to him, the rights and interests are guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution, labour laws and fundamental international labour standards which Nigeria is signatory to.