The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), has commenced the development of a coordinated action plan to ensure effective implementation of the Nigeria Trade Unions’ Labour Migration Policy.
The policy, developed by the NLC, provides trade unions with a worker-driven framework to organise, protect, and defend the rights of migrant workers while promoting fair recruitment and decent work standards.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop in Abuja, Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, described the initiative as a critical step toward strengthening unions’ capacity to safeguard the human and labour rights of migrant workers. He explained that the action plan would enhance trade unions’ structures to better organise migrant workers, negotiate effective Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), and promote fair recruitment practices.
Upah stressed that social dialogue and negotiated agreements remain reliable ways to guarantee decent work conditions. He added that the collaboration also aims to address vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers, including exploitation, trafficking, and abusive recruitment costs.
The workshop, supported by the ILO-Abuja Office under the ILO-Action Project and the Free Movement and Migration (FMM II) programme, provides a platform for trade union leaders to develop actionable strategies for engaging in migration governance frameworks at national and regional levels.
Inviolata Chinyangarara, Senior Specialist in Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) at the ILO Abuja Office, emphasised the need to translate policy commitments into realistic actions, allocate responsibilities clearly among tripartite constituents, and establish mechanisms for monitoring and accountability. She noted that commitments under national development frameworks, the SDGs, and regional labour standards must deliver measurable results for working people.
Also speaking, NLC Labour Migration focal person, Comrade Eustace James, said the workshop will strengthen trade union strategies for advocacy, organising, and protecting migrant workers. He affirmed that the NLC is committed to developing a coordinated, realistic, and actionable Trade Union Implementation Plan for 2025–2026.
By Michael Oche, Abuja
