The Vice-President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Issa Aremu, has called on employers of labour in Nigeria to adhere to health and safety standards in their workplaces.
In an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, he decried what he observed as the lack of commitment to safety standards in workplaces and provision of congenial work environment by some employers in Nigeria.
He stated that it was imperative for labour unions to unite to improve on the welfare of the workers as well as the workplace conditions.
Aremu lamented that some workers had died out of what he called the sheer negligence of their managements to safety standards.
He added that human resources were the greatest assets of organisations, saying they should be valued, respected, protected and preserved.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, on Labour Matters, Mr. Bisi Fakayode during a capacity-building and skill-development workshop for National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers, decried huge loss of jobs in the country, despite what he called, the increasing efforts geared towards reducing unemployment in the country.
He added that it was imperative to stimulate Nigeria’s economy as well as revive the textile industries across the country.
He urged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of self-reliance and develop the nation’s indigenous potential.
“In this, we must behave like the Chinese, who have looked inwards and made optimal use of natural resources and human capital.
“We must more than even before lay emphasis on the promotion of our own made fabrics and materials. One striking issue that touches my heart in all these is the huge loss of jobs despite the increasing efforts geared towards reducing unemployment,” Fakayode said.
He stated that unemployment was a global trend, adding that the situation should be looked at objectively and holistically with a view to evolving alternative policy options that could help ameliorate it.
“I want to encourage the union not to lose faith in its struggle to improve the textile sector of the economy.
“There are a lot of potential embedded in the sector. This could be harnessed to better the unemployment situation in the country,” he said.