NLC Warns Senate Against Removing Labour Matters from Exclusive Legislative List
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the National Assembly not to bow to pressure to transfer labour-related provisions from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List in the ongoing constitutional review.
Speaking at the Senate’s South-West Zonal Public Hearing on the Review of the 1999 Constitution held in Lagos on Saturday, the Lagos State NLC Chairperson, Mrs. Funmi Sessi, cautioned lawmakers against yielding to what she described as “clandestine interests” seeking to undermine workers’ rights.
Sessi emphasised that Item 34 of the Exclusive Legislative List in Schedule 1 of the Constitution must be preserved to ensure the continued protection of Nigerian workers and prevent fragmented labour laws across states.
According to her, labour issues are too critical to national unity and economic stability to be left to the discretion of individual states, where political interference and inconsistency in standards could jeopardise workers’ welfare.
The zonal hearing, organised as part of the constitution amendment process, was conducted simultaneously across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, providing a platform for public input into proposed constitutional changes.
The NLC reaffirmed its stance that any amendment weakening federal authority over labour matters would be strongly resisted by organised labour nationwide.
