NASU seeks end to casualisation, exploitation of contract workers

THE Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has demanded an end to casualisation of labour and exploitation of contract workers, insisting that employment must guarantee workers job security, fair remuneration and dignity.

The union also asked for the regularisation of eligible casual and contract workers, equal pay for work of equal value and the immediate payment of outstanding salaries and other legitimate entitlements, warning that employment arrangements designed to deny workers their rights undermine the principles of decent work and social justice.

NASU president, Comrade (Dr.) Makolo Hassan, made the demands in his address at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, in Abuja, where he identified workers’ rights, fair wages and secure employment as fundamental issues requiring urgent attention from government and employers.

Hassan maintained that decent work should go beyond the availability of jobs to include fair treatment, adequate remuneration, workplace security and respect for workers’ fundamental rights.

“Decent work is a fundamental workers’ right, not a privilege to be granted at the discretion of employers,” he declared.

He argued that the principles of decent work could not be upheld, while workers were denied their salaries, promotions, wage awards, pensions, gratuities and other legitimate entitlements.

The NASU president said the union would remain resolute in challenging employment practices that expose workers to insecurity and exploitation, particularly arrangements that deprive casual and contract employees of the benefits and protections enjoyed by their counterparts in regular employment.

“We unequivocally reject the increasing casualisation of labour and the exploitation of contract employment arrangements designed to deprive workers of job security, fair remuneration, dignity and their rightful benefits,” Hassan said.

He described such practices as unjust and unacceptable, stressing that workers should not be denied fair treatment simply because of the nature of their employment contracts.

The union, he added, would continue to demand equal pay for work of equal value, the regularisation of eligible casual and contract workers, the protection of workers’ rights and the immediate payment of all outstanding entitlements.

The demand comes amid wider concerns over the quality and security of employment in Nigeria, where workers face rising living costs and mounting pressure on their earnings.

For NASU, Hassan said, the protection of workers must include ensuring that employment provides a sustainable livelihood rather than leaving people vulnerable to arbitrary decisions, inadequate remuneration and the denial of benefits.

He also called on employers to respect collective bargaining, freedom of association and the right of workers to organise, describing these as fundamental trade union rights that must be protected in every workplace.

According to him, employers must negotiate with workers and their unions in good faith rather than impose conditions unilaterally, intimidate employees or victimise union members.

He warned that attempts to weaken workers’ collective voice could undermine industrial harmony, insisting that sustainable industrial peace depended on justice, dialogue and mutual respect.

“Employers must negotiate with workers and their unions in good faith; they must not impose conditions unilaterally, intimidate workers, victimise union members or engage in activities that are aimed at trying to stop or weaken workers’ efforts to organise collectively,” he said.

Hassan further urged government, labour and employers to strengthen tripartite consultations before introducing major economic decisions affecting workers, while making dispute-resolution mechanisms more effective and responsive.

Beyond employment security, the NASU president argued that decent work must also be reflected in wages that can sustain workers and their families.

He said the N70,000 national minimum wage had become grossly inadequate amid increases in the prices of food, transportation, housing, electricity, healthcare and other essential commodities.

He therefore called on the Federal Government to initiate an urgent review of the minimum wage in line with prevailing economic realities, alongside periodic wage reviews and cost-of-living adjustments to protect workers’ purchasing power.

Hassan said workers deserved not merely a minimum wage but a living wage capable of guaranteeing decent living conditions.

He also called for a national employment strategy focused on apprenticeship, technical and vocational education, industrial skills development and the creation of formal, decent jobs, particularly for young Nigerians entering the labour market.

According to him, the country must move beyond temporary empowerment programmes that offer neither career progression nor economic security, towards sustainable employment opportunities that enable young people to build stable careers.

The NASU president also called for stronger social protection for workers and vulnerable Nigerians, including prompt payment of pensions and gratuities, settlement of outstanding retirement benefits and improved protection for those working outside the formal economy.

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He said traders, artisans, transport workers, domestic workers, technicians and self-employed Nigerians contributed significantly to national productivity but often lacked adequate social insurance, pension coverage and labour protection.

Hassan maintained that protecting workers’ rights and improving their conditions of service were essential to national development, adding that economic progress must be measured by decent employment, fair wages, reduced poverty and improved living standards.

He urged workers to remain united in defending their rights, while calling on government and employers to place workers’ welfare at the centre of employment policies and industrial relations.