The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has been urged to come up with inputs for a robust Labour Act as the House of Representatives moves to amend the Act to strengthen the NLC.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who met with the leadership of the NLC in Abuja pointed out that the union represents vast majority of Nigerians and is mandated to protect their interest.
“We will be looking forward to your inputs, we are ready to look at them and amend the Labour Act.
“You should do that on time because time is of the essence so that we pass it very quickly,” Gbajabimila said.
He said that NLC should always conduct its activities free from political, religious or ethnic influences.
The union leader, Ayuba Wabba said that the visit was aimed at seeking collaboration of the house towards building the union into a strong institution.
Wabba said that democracy can only thrive in the country through strong institutions like the NLC, legislature, judiciary among others.
He said that the NLC was made up of unions in the informal and formal sectors and that it represented the interest of the common man.
The chairman said the NLC was interested in sustaining cordial relationship with the green chamber for the protection of Nigerian people.
Wabba said that when amending the Labour Act, labour unions should be made more independent and that every Nigerian worker should be free to join any union of his choice.
He said there was need for a social dialogue which should be made up of all stakeholders to address issues rather than strikes.
Wabba commended the House for its interventions in resolving labour related matters especially in the health, education and power sectors in the country.
