Federal Government has been called upon to include members of Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) Labour side into the membership of National Council of Establishment to enable workers representative be part of decision makers on issues affecting workers in the Public Service.
This call forms part of the ( 8) eight-point communique issued at the end of 3 day National workshop organized by the National leadership of Joint Public Service Negotiating Council in partnership with Michael lmoudu National institute of Labour studies which took place in ilorin, Kwara State.
The communique issued by the group and jointly signed by the National Chairman, Comrade Benjamin Anthony and National Secretary Comrade Bomoi Mohammed Ibraheem respectively lamented that deliberate exclusion of JNPSNC as a member of National Council on Establishment (NCE) is tantamount to shaving someone’s head behind which has led to rejection of many memoranda emanating from the Council over time
The meeting is of the opinion that the council should admit JNPSNC to the NCE, hence, leader of joint council should begin the process of sponsoring of bill that will be enacted by the National Assembly as Act of Parliament which will legally confer membership status of NCE on the Joint council and as well be imputed in the Nigeria Labour laws
The National workshop further resolved that Government and employers of Labour should begin to honour collective bargaining agreement freely entered into between two or more parties in order to guarantee industrial peace in workplace, “breakdown in collective agreements had created mistrust devoid of robust and cordial relationship within the Labour space, this has resulted in endless avoidable strike actions.
In the same vein, the communique expressed serious concern over the untold hardship pensioners from Federal, State and Local Governments are facing in assessing their pensions and gratuities benefits which is often characterized with prolonged verification of pensioners, to mitigate against this inhuman treatment, harmonization of pension should be included during negotiations of National minimum wage
Again, the communique advocated for the adoption of ILO convention 190 of 2019 which emphasized the promotion of equality and equity between all men and women in the world of work with primary goals of promoting “opportunities for women and men to obtain decent working conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity”.
Also, the communique challenged stakeholders in the joint Public Service Negotiating Council to live up to expectations in their statutory responsibllities of the council as ordained at formation in 1948 of Withley Council which is known today as joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, these responsibilities have been jettisoned or abandoned for other Labour technocrats to take over, all state Councils of joint Public Service Negotiating Council should henceforth redouble their efforts in negotiating for better working conditions of work for workers at the state levels across the Federation.
The communique appreciated all States that extended sponsorship to their state Delegates that attend the National workshop and appealed to other States that did not do so, to respond positively in subsequent workshops and meetings.