The Federal Government of Nigeria is facing renewed scrutiny at the International Labour Organisation after the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) accused authorities of serial violations of workers’ rights, anti-union discrimination, and interference in the affairs of trade unions across the country.
Addressing the Committee on the Application of Standards at the 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, urged the ILO to find Nigeria in breach of the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), citing what he described as a pattern of intimidation, violence, interference, and discrimination against workers and their organisations.
“I speak on behalf of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the most representative central trade union organisation in Nigeria and an affiliate of the International Trade Union Confederation,” Ajaero said.
“We appear before this Committee because workers and their organisations in Nigeria continue to face persistent violations of the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949.”
According to him, the alleged violations are not isolated incidents but part of a broader trend that undermines workers’ ability to organise freely and engage in collective bargaining.
Ajaero argued that the attack on him in Imo State in November 2023 constituted a clear case of anti-union discrimination prohibited under Convention No. 98.
The Nigerian labour leader said that he was violently attacked and seriously injured while leading a legitimate trade union mission aimed at securing the implementation of a 2021 collective agreement and addressing issues including pension arrears, unpaid salaries, allowances, and alleged intimidation of workers.
“The attack occurred solely because I was carrying out lawful trade union functions,” he said.
He further alleged that despite assurances, no effective investigation or prosecution had followed the incident, creating a climate of impunity that sends a chilling message to workers and trade union representatives.
Ajaero also told the committee that labour leaders in Osun State were recently shown photographs of his bloodied body by agents of the state as a warning of what could happen to them if they proceeded with planned trade union actions.
The NLC President accused the Edo State Government of violating Convention No. 98 through direct interference in the affairs of the labour movement.
According to him, state authorities, backed by security personnel, seized and occupied the NLC secretariat in Benin City on December 5, 2024.
He said the facility remains under occupation despite efforts by the congress to resolve the matter through internal mechanisms.
“The forcible occupation of a trade union facility by state authorities interferes directly with the administration and functioning of a workers’ organisation,” he said.
Ajaero also alleged that the Edo State Government publicly rejected the democratically elected leadership of the NLC in the state and attempted to influence internal leadership arrangements.
He argued that governments have no authority to determine who should represent workers or interfere in the internal affairs of labour organisations. The NLC president also accused security agencies and other actors of disrupting the inauguration of the union’s leadership in Edo State on August 28, 2025.
According to him, trade union officials were pursued across the city, meetings were disrupted, and organisational activities were frustrated, forcing the inauguration to be held at a secret location due to fears for the safety of participants.
Ajaero said that such actions were incompatible with international obligations requiring governments to promote collective bargaining and social dialogue.
“As it is today, the NLC in Edo State is a clone of the Governor, so the government negotiates with itself instead of the legitimate leadership of the NLC,” he told the committee.
The labour leader also raised concerns over developments involving the National Union of Road Transport Workers, alleging continued government-backed interference in the union’s leadership despite court decisions and established trade union processes.
According to him, the imposition of leadership structures on the union amounts to external control of a workers’ organisation and undermines workers’ right to freely choose their representatives.
“Where governments determine who leads a union rather than allowing workers to freely choose their representatives, especially when the highest appellate courts have given rulings to the contrary, trade union independence ceases to exist,” he said.
Beyond the specific cases, the NLC alleged a broader pattern of violations across Nigeria, including intimidation, harassment and physical attacks against labour leaders, interference in internal union elections and leadership structures, excessive deployment of security personnel during lawful industrial actions, and restrictions on the ability of workers’ organisations to operate freely and independently.
The congress argued that these practices violate Articles 1 and 2 of Convention No. 98 and undermine obligations under Article 4, which requires governments to promote voluntary negotiations between employers and workers’ organisations.
Ajaero told the committee that the ILO’s Committee of Experts had repeatedly requested information from Nigeria regarding the allegations but that the government had failed to provide adequate responses or demonstrate effective remedial action. “As it stands, internal mechanisms for remedial action have failed, demanding external intervention,” he said.
The NLC urged the committee to formally find Nigeria in breach of its obligations under Articles 1, 2, and 4 of Convention No. 98 and to press the government to end the occupation of the NLC secretariat in Edo State, restore control of the premises to the congress, cease interference in trade union affairs, and work only with the legitimate leadership of the NLC.
The labour body also called on the government to respect court decisions relating to trade union leadership disputes, including those involving the NURTW, guarantee the safety of trade union leaders and members, conduct independent investigations into alleged acts of anti-union violence and intimidation, and establish a timetable for labour law reforms to ensure compliance with international standards.
“The issue before this Committee is not merely one of labour relations. It concerns the fundamental right of workers to organise freely, choose their representatives independently, and bargain collectively without fear, interference, or violence,” Ajaero said.
In one of the strongest remarks of his address, he warned that the challenges facing organised labour were spreading beyond individual states. “What is happening in Nigeria is a cancer that has become malignant with pustules everywhere. In Edo, Rivers, and Lagos, it is growing,” he said.
According to local media reports on Tuesday, the NLC urged the committee to use what it described as the full weight of its authority to compel Nigeria to comply with Convention No. 98 and protect the rights of workers.
GIK/APA