The Nigerian government on Friday in Abuja said the newly approved National Industrial Relations Policy (NIRP) aims to foster greater industrial harmony across the country.
The new NIRP was approved a few days ago by the Federal Executive Council.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, stated that it was important to allay the fears of organised labour that the policy was intended to criminalise strike actions.
In a statement signed by the Head of Information and Public Relations in the Ministry, Mrs Patience Onuobia, the Minister assured that the new NIRP would bring numerous benefits to Nigeria, such as improved industrial harmony, enhanced productivity, and protection of workers’ rights.
While reacting to the rejection of the policy by organised labour which considered the policy an attempt to criminalise strikes and silence labour unions Dingyadi noted that “the policy is the culmination of several engagements of Government, represented by Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, organised labour, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), as well as the Employers, represented by the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).”
According to Dingyadi, the engagements spanned nearly seven years, with the final draft of the NIRP validated by stakeholders in December 2024.
He highlighted the benefits of the policy to Nigeria, including improved industrial harmony by reducing industrial disputes and promoting stable labour relations nationwide, “leading to more predictable, peaceful, and structured labour relations across sectors.”
The Minister explained that by ensuring smooth workplace operations and strengthening tripartite cooperation between government, employers, and workers, the policy is projected to boost productivity and strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria’s labour environment.
He expressed high optimism that the policy would align Nigeria’s industrial relations practices with global benchmarks, particularly those of the International Labour Organization (ILO), making the country more competitive and attractive to both domestic and foreign investors.
“The policy would lead to enhanced social dialogue, since it emphasises the importance of social dialogue in resolving conflicts and building consensus among stakeholders, including regular consultations and negotiations between government, employers, and trade unions.”
“The NIRP ensures the protection of workers’ rights, including fair wages, safe working conditions, and the right to collective bargaining, while also addressing issues like gender equality and non-discrimination,” he said.
The Minister stated that the policy would serve as a reference point for labour laws, union engagements, and conflict resolution in both the public and private sectors, promoting more effective labour relations.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, while reacting to the policy, said it “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.”
In a statement, NLC President Joe Ajaero said the Congress was shocked that “from a catalogue of hundreds of workplace issues contained in the National Industrial Relations Policy, the Federal Government singled out industrial strikes as a major concern.”
“The Nigeria Labour Congress also decries the penchant to use strong-arm tactics to overturn popular decisions reached through a process of tripartism and social dialogue.
“We recall that there were attempts during the development of the National Industrial Relations Policy for Nigeria to insert certain clauses in the policy that criminalised strike actions.
“The trade unions, the employers and even the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Labour rejected such insertions as anomalous to the 1999 Constitution and the Trade Unions Act, which give trade unions the power to withdraw their services in line with the law.
“While the Nigeria Labour Congress and Organised Labour in Nigeria condemn and reject this new law in industrial relations in Nigeria, we assure Nigerian workers that the leadership of the Congress and the Labour Movement remain watchful on our mandate of protecting the rights, interests and hard-won industrial liberties guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, our labour laws and indeed fundamental international labour standards which Nigeria is signatory to,” Ajaero added.
PIAK