23rd October, 2017
The General-Secretary of the Textile Workers’ Union, Mr Issa Aremu, on Monday appealed to state governments in the country to train their workers regularly, to develop their capacities.
Aremu, who is also the Vice-President of the Industrial Global Union made the appeal in a statement issued in Lagos.
He said that developing the capacities of workers was in line with the policy of the International Labour Organisation.
He argued that the 1999 Constitution had guaranteed basic human and workers’ rights and that there was need to “dignify the workforce and show them understanding and sympathy’’.
The unionist criticized the teachers’ competency test saga in Kaduna State recently, describing the development as a “gross violation of workers’ dignity”.
According to him, workers’ constitutional rights are being implemented more in the breach than compliance.
“The issue of non-payment and delayed payment of salaries by some state governors and private employers should be in the front burner always.
“It is unacceptable and counter-productive, dramatising and criminalising workers’ skill gap when what is required is skills upgrading and skills upliftment.”
Aremu said that Section 34 (1) of 1999 Constitution stated that every individual, including workers, be it, man or women was entitled to respect for the dignity of his or her person.