THE Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, with support from the European Union, EU, through the “Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa” Project held a national consultation meeting on the draft Directive on Harmonisation of the Labour Laws in the ECOWAS Region on Wednesday in Abuja.

The Directive on the Harmonisation of Labour Laws in the ECOWAS Region aims to achieve the much needed harmonisation framework, while respecting the diversity of legal cultures, systems of working relations, areas of regulation and practices existing within ECOWAS.

During the one-day national consultation meeting, the stakeholders of labour in Nigeria were sensitised through sharing of best practices on the harmonisation of labour laws. They also discussed the contents of the Draft Directive and made inputs and recommendations.

Siga Fatima Jagne, the Commissioner Social Affairs and Gender, ECOWAS Commission, said in her opening remarks that the Revised Treaty of ECOWAS in Article 61(b) made provisions for Member States to harmonize their labour laws and social security legislations for the purposes of effective integration and social development of the region.

Jagne, who was represented by Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, the Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission, stressed that the harmonisation of the legislations was not about unifying the laws, but making the laws more or less similar.

She added that the region would benefit immensely from the harmonised labour laws as it is at the heart of the regional integration process of ECOWAS

Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment of Nigeria, in his keynote address which was read by Dani Neburagho, the Director, Productivity and Labour Standards in the Ministry expressed the need for consistency and coherence in the labour administration system in the region. This, he said, was critical for the integration and governance of labour relations systems.

Benson Upah, the Representative of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, President, said in his speech that he believed that true cooperation and integration were necessary for a united West Africa, hence the need for harmonised labour laws and social security legislations to protect workers in the region irrespective of their origins.

The representatives of the International Labour Organisation, ILO, Dennis Zulu, and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, Thompson Akpabio, in their goodwill messages commended ECOWAS for this initiative, saying that the intervention is quite timely, a step in the right direction and an important development for the region.

– May 23, 2019 @ 12:45 GMT |