Alex Enumah in Abuja

The President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Justice Benedict Kanyip, labour leaders, university don and other key stakeholders has stressed the importance of fair labour practices in achieving peace and productivity at the workplace.

Kanyip spoke alongside National President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Festus Osifo and Prof. Ademola Popoola, of the Law Faculty, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Thursday in Abuja, at the 2025 Public Lecture of the NICN.

Setting the tone for discussion, the industrial court president who identified the place of education in workplace harmony, lamented the poor understanding of labour laws by many employers and employees.

“We are covering the field right to interrogate the principles of Labour justice and labour law education. Labour justice and labour law education are intertwined concepts”, he said.

“While labour justice refers to the principles of fairness and equity in the workplace, encompassing the legal rights and protections afforded workers, labour law education involves the study and teaching of labour laws so as to ensure understanding and application of these principles by workers and employers, legal professionals and indeed the society in general”, he added.

Kanyip explained that this education is crucial for promoting social justice and adherence to legal regulations like minimum wage, working conditions anti-discrimination laws and the general impact on the economy.

The president added that labour justice is a framework rooted in social justice, human rights and the rule of law, which aims to ensure fairness, dignified working conditions for all,” Kanyip said.

In a goodwill, the NLC president commended the leadership of the NICN for initiating the discourse, noting that the theme: Labour Justice and Labour Law Education”, is not only timely but fundamental to the survival of the nation’s industrial relations ecosystem.

Ajaero said, “A healthy, harmonious, robust, and productive industrial relations space is the bedrock of national development. Central to maintaining this is a fair, impartial, and efficient adjudicatory process”.

He said to achieve this key stakeholders within this process, particularly the judiciary, must possess a deep and nuanced understanding of the actors and their psychology in the industrial relations sphere: their aspirations, their strategies, their legitimate tactics, and their peculiar challenges.

“This understanding is what enables the making of balanced and equitable decisions that uphold justice.

“It is therefore our firm belief that the judicial process, especially under the sacred mandate of the National Industrial Court, must not be used to further the emasculation of workers and their organisations. On the contrary, it must be deployed as a shield to protect the weak and vulnerable worker from the paws of unconscionable employers. This is the core of your lordships’ sacred
mandate.

Ajaero accordingly call on the leadership of the court to address what he described as a growing and deeply disturbing challenge: the use, and often misuse of injunctions by employers and governments to stifle workers’ constitutional rights to associate, assemble, and hold an opinion and the pliant disposition of some of the judges.

The labour leader complained about the haste with which these injunctions are sought and granted to stop workers from realising their legitimate objectives, adding that it has become a significant impediment to industrial harmony.

Also, in his goodwill, the TUC president, who was represented by Iyen Adegbe, commended the court for its pivotal role in fostering industrial harmony, defending the dignity of labour, and upholding the constitutional rights of both workers and employers.

While observing that justice is central, the TUC president stated that education is equally vital, adding that, “Many conflicts in workplaces are born not only out of deliberate violations but also out of ignorance of the law. A workforce that understands its rights and obligations, and an employer community that is well acquainted with labour statutes, are better positioned to prevent disputes rather than perpetually resolve them”.

In a keynote address, Prof. Popoola, lamented that Nigeria’s labour laws are still largely rooted in colonial-era statutes.

He advocated for constitutional amendments to make labour rights enforceable and also called for improvement and development of labour laws into the curriculum of schools.

Popoola further called on the government to invest in manpower to support effective labour adjudication since, labour law education is essential for national development and a tool for promoting human security.

Meanwhile, law professor warned that the NICN may soon be overwhelmed by disputes unless alternative grievance mechanisms like the Public Complaints Commission are strengthened and utilized by the people.

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