The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has frowned at the ongoing action embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), warning that, the action amounts to self-help and tantamount to economic sabotage capable of derailing the country’s fragile economic recovery.
The director-general of NECA, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, emphasised in a statement that, “conflict is an inevitable feature of the labour ecosystem, and Nigeria has statutory and institutional frameworks designed to address any disputes, including the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) and the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN). ”
Oyerinde called on the minister of Labour and Employment to act decisively by stopping the wanton and wilful denigration of Nigeria’s industrial relations system. He stated that, “with Nigeria sending one of the highest delegations to the ILO Conference annually, it is curious that basic industrial relations principles, Conventions, and Recommendations remain poorly applied.”
He called for the dispute to be resolved through lawful and constructive channels, warning that, failure to act decisively could have far-reaching consequences for economic sustainability, job creation and preservation, investment attraction and promotion and national development.
However, he noted that “Any action capable of discouraging investment, undermining enterprises sustainability, or harming the workers that the unions claim to protect will be counter-productive. While trade unions have the legitimate right to embark on industrial action, such rights must be exercised responsibly and within the bounds of the law.
“It is unacceptable for any union to conscript or coerce those not interested in its action or disrupt the operations of legitimate businesses not party to the dispute. Treating Institutions of labour administration with disdain and resorting to self-help is not only absurd but also against all known Conventions and Recommendations.”
According to the DG, “When employers or workers are aggrieved, there are Institutions created to adjudicate or arbitrate in such matters. Nigeria’s recovering economy cannot be sacrificed on the altar of actions and pronouncements that are alien to global and local industrial relations practice. ”
Citing international labour instruments, including ILO Conventions 87 and 98, Oyerinde reaffirmed NECA’s commitment to upholding global labour standards, decent work and responsible business conduct, while not negotiating employers’ rights to manage their enterprises and investments within the ambit of the law.
Similarly, on his part, the chairman Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics LTDGTE.
Honorary Life Vice-President & 22nd National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture and immediate past Chairman Organized Private Sector of Nigeria, Hon. Dele Kelvin Oye called for swift, transparent, and mediated action to resolve this crisis: safeguard national energy supply, uphold labour rights and due process, and preserve the fragile economic recovery for the benefit of all Nigerians.
