INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION CONVENTIONS ON FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT TO ORGANISE CONVENTION, 1948 (NO. 87) AND RIGHT TO ORGANISE AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CONVENTION, 1949 (NO. 98)

As mentioned last week, the International Labour Organization (ILO) intervenes in ensuring better working environments for all workers at their various places of work globally, through the instrumentality of various conventions it legislates.

Conventions 87 and 98 are two of the fundamental conventions of the ILO. The former speaks to Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, while the latter speaks to the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining. These are the Conventions that do not only globally guarantee the rights of workers to freely associate and organize themselves under the umbrella of industrial or Trade Union, but they also empower workers through their Unions to negotiate their working conditions.

Acknowledgement and respect of their employees’ fundamentals rights as expressed by these conventions portrays an abiding employer as one that is not only labour friendly but also one that is a good social partner. Workers and their unions reciprocate loyalty of employers on these conventions with better dedication to work and ensure increased productivity.

It is important for workers to know that as they are protected internationally through the conventions of the ILO earlier mentioned, they are also protected locally to freely associate as enshrined, ultimately, in Section 40 of Nigeria’s Constitution and combined sections 12(4), 23 and 25 of Nigeria’s Trade Unions Act.

For guidance on how to be members Nigerian workers who are yet to be members of a Trade Union should endeavour to contact the Trade Union in their sector and those in the private telecommunications and communications sector should endeavour to contact the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria on her website and other various social media platforms.