Mixed reactions have continued to trail the proposed bill to outlaw casualisation and outsourcing at the House of Representatives.
The Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPAN) is kicking against the bill proposing to outlaw outsourcing in Nigeria by the House of Representatives.
The bill which has passed the second reading was sponsored by Hon Wale Raji representing Epe Federal Constituency.
The national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has praised the bill which seeks to criminalised casualisation, describing it as patriotic and humane.
The Director-General of NECA, Dr Timothy Olawale, who spoke on the bill, said he appreciated the concern of the lawmakers in ensuring decent work for all Nigerians.
He noted that, over the years, NECA had frowned at casualisation, as it is against the principles of decent work and international best standards and practices of the ILO.
“We, in fact, frown at all practices that tend to treat labour as a commodity to be exploited,” he said.
According to him, the bill is also coming at a time the social partners under the leadership of the Federal MiniAstry of Labour and Employment are currently reviewing the entire Labour laws with the technical support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
President of HuCaPAN, Aderemi Adegboyega, who maintained that outlawing outsourcing in Nigeria would hurt the economy as well as create job loss, said: “Instead of proposing to outlaw outsourcing in Nigeria, the only rational thing to do is to ratify the ILO Convention 181 – Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181) and include it in the proposed Labour Act (Amendment) 2019.
“The Inspectorate Unit of the Federal Ministry of Labour must be empowered to ensure that the national decent job deficit comes to nil. This would be in line with HuCaPAN objective and guiding motto ‘wherever a Nigerian is found working, he must have a decent job.”
NUPENG, however, lauds the House of Representatives for initiating a bill to criminalise casualisation of workers.
NUPENG in a statement jointly signed by the President and the General Secretary, Comrade Comrade (Prince) Williams Eniredonana Akporeha and Comrade Afolabi Olawale, said: “NUPENG is specially pleased with the patriotic and humane efforts being made by the 9th Assembly of the House of Representatives in the ongoing process for the passage of a bill seeking to amend the Labour Act to criminalise casualisation of workers in Nigeria.”
