Reps Indict Banks, Oil Firms Over Workers’ Casualisation

The House of Representatives, yesterday, passed through second reading a bill to criminalise casualization of workers after six month of engagement by employers.
The bill also seeks to prohibit outsourcing of employment in core areas of operation.
Leading the debate on the bill, the sponsor, Hon Wale Raji said that the practice has rendered several workers underemployed.
He noted that the bill seeks to cure the lacuna in the Labour Act.
“The major problems confronting Nigerian workers are casualization and outsourcing of core jobs. This is an obnoxious practice that has rendered several workers underemployed.
The bill seeks to remove the lacuna in the Labour Act, adding that, “It is uncommon to find workers, in telecom, banking and even oil and gas to be casualized irrespective of the number of years of employment.”
Speaking on the bill, Julius Pondi accused oil giants; Shell and Chevron of engaging in the practice.
He stated that 80 per cent of the employees in the oil sector are casual workers.
“About 80 per cent of the staff in the oil sector are casual workers. This is predominant at Shell and Chevron. It is the indigenous people that suffer the most. The company will employ people from that region, but keep them as casualized workers. The amendment must target the oil sector and the host community.”
When the bill was put to question by the Presiding Officer, Hon Idris Wase, it got the support of majority, and was referred to the House Committee on Labour and Productivity.