Bill To Criminalise Casualisation Of Workers In Nigeria Passes 2nd Reading
LAGOS MARCH 3RD (NEWSRANGERS)-A Bill for an Act to amend the Labour Act to criminalise casualisation of workers after six months of engagement by employers in Nigeria on Tuesday passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill which seeks to prohibit engagement of casual workers beyond six months and outsourcing employment in core areas of operation was sponsored by Rep. Olawale Raji (APC-Lagos).
Leading the debate on Tuesday at the plenary, Raji said that the bill sought to add a clause to the Act which provides that every worker shall enjoy full employment benefits as a permanent staff after six months of engagement.
He said that section eight stated that “every worker in Nigeria engaged or employed and has remained in such employment for a period of not less than six months shall have his/her engagement regularised by the employer.
“Such worker should enjoy as a full and permanent staff of such employer with all its accompanying entitlements.’
“Any employer who disengages a worker after a period of six months from the date of first engagement without regularising the worker’s employment shall at the date of disengagement pay to the worker full salary.
“Also, allowances and entitlements due to a permanent staff for two months provided the worker has not been found liable of any criminal act involving fraud resulting to financial loss to the company,” he said
Raji said that the bill recommended that failure to comply would attract a fine of maximum of N2 million or imprisonment for two years or both as penalty for individual defaulters.
For corporate bodies, Raji said that a fine of maximum of N2 million or imprisonment for two years or both as penalty for each director of the company found to have defaulted.
Rep. Tajudeen Yusuf (PDP-Kogi) said that casualisation of workers was most common with foreign companies.
He said that they came into the country to do what was not done in their countries or any other country in the world.
The reps said there was need for Nigerian citizens to be confident based on the power of the law to protect them from being exploited.
He called on his colleagues to support the bill saying that they should put it on record that the ninth Assembly made the law that protected the Nigerian worker.
According to Rep. Egho Idahosa (APC-Lagos), although causal workers are used by employers once in a while to address issues it should not be permanent.
He said that in the case of Nigeria, casualisation was a permanent thing as some top management staff members used it to make extra money for themselves.
Idahosa said that the casual workers were made to work full time but were denied benefits of a permanent worker which some management staff often diverted.
“This is inhumanity of man to man and this green chamber is the only institution to correct it; if you do not need a worker do not employ.
“You cannot keep a worker and keep him for years and at the end of the day you throw him out; I think it is wickedness,” he said.
In his ruling the Deputy Speaker of the house, Rep. Ahmed Wase, referred the bill to the House Committee on Labour and Productivity for further legislative actions. (NAN)
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