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Govt tasks employers on global best practice

By Yetunde Ebosele
18 June 2015   |   12:22 am
THE Federal Government on Tuesday called on employers of labour in the country especially human resource managers to adopt modalities to tackle the challenges in new form of employment in conformity with global best practice.
Clement Illoh

Dr. Clement Illoh,

As practitioners lament activities of quacks 

THE Federal Government on Tuesday called on employers of labour in the country especially human resource managers to adopt modalities to tackle the challenges in new form of employment in conformity with global best practice.

Worried by the abuse of best practices in employment of workers, government through the Ministry of Labour and Productivity is collaborating with the Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (Hu CaPan) to tackle the abuses associated with outsourcing of workers to meet international best practice in line with Decent Work Agenda of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Speaking in Lagos through the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, at a two-day workshop on the theme, “Harnessing the benefits of outsourcing through enhanced regulatory environment,’’organised by the Ministry in conjunction with Human Capital Providers Association (HuCaPaN), the government said all hands must be on deck to tackle the menace.

According to Illoh, it is necessary for human resource managers to develop and sustain global best practice in the administration of the emergent forms of employment, (outsourcing).

Besides, he alleged that, since the introduction of the licensing regime in the operations of Private Employment Agencies (PEA), some unregistered recruiters had been operating without meeting the laid down principles. “It is common knowledge that unregistered Recruiters are the bane of the industry.

As you know, these faceless operators do not have regards for the core values of the industry especially those relating to the fundamental principles and rights at work”. More than anything else, whenever one of our critical stakeholders- the trade unions express concern over the adoption of out sourcing as a preferred mode of employment, it is actually the abuses perpetrated by unregistered operators that they are poised to fight against”. `

These faceless operators do not have regards for the core values of the industry especially those relating to the fundamental principles and the rights at work. These unregistered agencies are the ones encouraging impunity in work places for outsource workers.”

He also expressed government intention to work with other stakeholders to ratify Labour Organisation’s Private Employment Agencies Convention 181 of the ILO and urged participants to discuss how to ensure that Nigeria ratified the Convention.

HuCaPaN President, Nege Inumidu, in his opening remark said it is sad that unregistered agencies were in operation in the banking, manufacturing, telecommunication and the oil and gas sector.

Besides,Inumidu explained that the association will ensure effective collaboration with the Ministry to monitor and checkmate the activities of ‘quack’ agencies that had taken over outsourcing of workers in the country.

He said if unregistered agencies were eliminated, there would be reduction in the level of unfair practices meted out to outsourced workers. Accoding to him, regulation is the way to “ check against quackery so that standards are observed and maintained to ensure compliances within laid down Rules and Procedures and to ensure that professional ethics are observed in line with international best practice”.

Inumidu said the association is “ of the strong view that effective and efficient collaboration between the Ministry and HuCaPan can help to eliminate quacks from the industry, reduce unfair practices by some employers of labour and enhance the productivity of outsourced employees”.

The International Labour Organization represented by Dr. Runo Onasode noted that Nigeria is yet to ratify Convention 181 on the regulation of Private Employment Agencies. She said the Convention when ratified among other things will promote workers’ rights and protect the rights of migrant workers. Dr. Onasode advised the relevant stakeholders to work towards the ratification of the ILO Convention.

In his address, the director-general of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Olusegun Osinowo represented by Timothy Olawale said participants should use the opportunity of the workshop to address issues that are very important to them. He noted that operators have complained about dealing with multiple unions in one sector. .

Osinowo also suggested that HuCaPan should consider training and re-training of its members especially in the area of drafting agreements, which he said calls for specialization.

He promised that NECA would continue to support HuCaPan and the federal ministry of labour’s bid to sanitize the activities of Private Employers Agencies.

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