The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has urged government to advance established negotiations and consultations with destination countries on entering Bilateral Labour Agreements.
Director ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Liaison Office for ECOWAS Vanessa Phala, said this while speaking at the launch of the revised National Policy on Labour Migration (NPLM) recently
She said such agreements when based on international labour standards, can be a key tool in labour migration governance which ensures safe, orderly, and regular labour migration.
Speaking further , the director said well governed labour migration can contribute to sustainable development for countries of origin, transit, and destination, provide opportunities for migrant workers and safeguard their rights.
She said it is in this context that the ILO in line with its global mandate works to improve national capacities across a broad spectrum of thematic areas, including employment promotion, return and reintegration and addressing all forms of forced labour, including modern slavery.
“The International Labour Organization (ILO) is pleased to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in convening this event to launch the revised National Policy on Labour Migration (NPLM).
“ILO congratulates the minister and indeed the Government of Nigeria on recent landmark achievements in the area of labour administration, including successes recorded in institutional approaches towards safeguarding rights of all workers.
“Notably, the recent approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the amendment of the labour laws, ratification of ILO Conventions 143 – Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, C 181 – Private Employment Agencies Convention as well as Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) demonstrates the commitment of the Government in compliance with ILO conventions, and further crystalizes the intent of the Government to ensure the promotion of decent work for Nigerian workers.
“Suffice to state that these frameworks, including the aforementioned Conventions embodies provisions of various International Labour Standards aligned to decent work agenda, including through normative provisions that seek to ensure adequate safeguard mechanisms for migrant workers in a bid to facilitate well-functioning labour markets.
“ILO is indeed delighted to witness this epoch-making ceremony and appreciates the opportunity provided by the Government to participate in the revision of the policy, which was facilitated through a consultative and participatory process under the leadership of the Ministry, as well its subsequent adoption by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
“National labour migration policies serve as frameworks through which governments and other relevant stakeholders, in the spirit of social dialogue, design and develop contextualised mechanisms for safeguarding the rights of migrant workers.
“ILO’s strategy on labour migration and mobility in the African region is guided by its International Labour Standards (ILS) and Decent Work Agenda and implemented in close collaboration with the World of Work actors (Ministries of Labour and workers’ and employers’ organisations).
“The agency’s rights-based approach takes into consideration labour market needs and covers all migrant workers irrespective of nationality and immigration status.
“The revised NPLM encapsulates Governments aspirations and policy thrust in the area of labour migration, and the review has been methodologically aligned to relevant International Labour Standards, Sustainable Development Goals and also importantly further demonstrates commitments towards attaining the objectives of the Abidjan Declaration towards shaping the Decent Work Agenda across the continent, including through promoting fair and effective labour migration governance.
‘The foregoing is further crystalized through our work, where accompanying practical tools such as manuals for facilitating pre-departure and post arrival training seminars, a Gender Mainstreaming Strategy, a toolkit for reporting labour migration, the signing of a union-union Memorandum of Understanding between workers representatives and their counterparts in Bahrain, as well as support to employers in strengthening its effectiveness and capacity to engage in the area of labour migration are being rolled out”.
