Yemisi Izuora
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), condemned declaration of “No-work-No-pay rule by government saying such policy is an infringement on the rights of workers in the country.
The President of the body, Ayuba Wabba, made this declaration in a statement on Thursday in Abuja following the Federal Executive Council’s approval and implementation of the rule.
Wabba said the right to strike is a human and trade union right and cannot be wished away by any government policy.
“That’s why the strike is legalised by our laws and has been exercised since the colonial era to date.
“The right to strike is what differentiates a worker from a slave; just like the right to strike, right to picketing the right to work to rule, right to protest and peaceful assembly.
“So, the issue of no work no pay has always existed. It is morally and legally wrong to apply a phrase in a body of law without respecting all other provisions of the same law.
“Same law provides that a worker’s wage is due after 30 days; where this and or any collective bargaining agreement is violated, it is legally and morally justifiable for unions and workers to apply “no pay no work,’’ he said.
He, however, asserted the implementation of the rule would not deter the organized labour from exercising the right to strike.
Wabba stressed that there were clear procedures provided by law on how workers can embark on a strike, saying “once this legal requirement is met, no- work- no pay rule cannot apply”.