Nigeria has called on ECOWAS member states to place the decent work agenda at the centre of their socio-economic policies, for sustainable development in the sub-region.
The permanent secretary, federal ministry of labour and employment, William Alo, made the call at the opening of the meeting of labour experts/ general assembly of the ECOWAS social dialogue forum holding in Abuja from July 16 to July 19, 2019.
Alo observed that the pillars of the decent work agenda – social dialogue, social protection, rights at work and employment are indispensable building blocks of sustainable development.
He stated that the Nigerian government, on its part, had created an unrestricted space for social dialogue to cushion workers’ vulnerability, and to foster greater reconciliation and mediation between disputing parties.
Alo described social dialogue and collective bargaining as reliable tools for addressing inequality, minimising the incidence of working poor, and ensuring fair wage distribution, as well as tackling informality in the ECOWAS sub-region; and therefore appealed to tripartite partners and other stakeholders to employ dialogue and consultations to address problems faced by workers and employers alike.
He observed that the theme of this year’s forum, “strengthening social dialogue for the promotion of decent work in the ECOWAS region”, had been designed to promote social dialogue and tripartism, aimed at preventing and ending conflicts, and promoting socio-economic development and integration at the national and regional levels.
The permanent secretary, however, commended the ECOWAS Commission for its role in deepening integration in labour administration in the sub-region.
“Your role in the development of the ECOWAS labour and employment policy and its youth employment action plan, draft ECOWAS decent work regional programme (2019-2022), and the draft directive on harmonisation of labour laws in the ECOWAS region to be validated at this forum, are key milestones worthy of mention,” Alo said.
Siga Fatimah Jagne, of the ECOWAS Commission for social affairs and gender, represented by Sintiki Tarfa Ogbe, called on the member states to address key decent work deficits in the region, including unemployment, underemployment, low rate of female employment, and labour force participation in rural areas, among others.
The ECOWAS Commission is expected to present to the forum for consideration and validation, a Draft Decent Work Regional Programme (DWRP); and the draft directive on minimum standards on harmonisation of labour laws in the ECOWAS region.
JOSHUA BASSEY
