The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to mobilise workers across the country and join forces with civil society groups to resist the proposed Nigeria Social Security Trust Fund (NSSTF) Bill currently before the National Assembly.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, described the Bill as "a brazen and unpatriotic act of class warfare," alleging that it was designed to enable elements within government to seize and exploit workers' contributions.
Ajaero argued that the legislation, rather than reforming the nation’s social security system, represents "an assault on social justice and the principles of tripartism," warning that it amounts to a declaration of war against Nigerian workers.
"The Bill is not a reform. It is a calculated ploy to expropriate and plunder the collective wealth of the working class, wealth accrued from workers’ sweat and blood," he said.
The NLC chief urged the Senate leadership to immediately halt deliberations on what he described as "poisonous legislation" that could further impoverish Nigerian workers.
"The Senate must not allow itself to be used as a conveyor belt for the alienation of workers. This Bill represents a catastrophic and unacceptable dilution of labour’s voice," he said.
He criticised provisions in the draft law that reportedly seek to reduce workers’ representation on the Fund’s governing board while granting greater influence to government officials and employers.
"By reducing the NLC’s representation and creating an artificial majority for the government bloc, the Bill seeks to silence the very people for whom the Fund exists," he said, adding that the move violates international labour standards.
Ajaero argued that the proposal breaches key International Labour Organisation (ILO) instruments, including Convention 144 on Tripartite Consultation, as well as the Philadelphia Declaration, which guarantees workers equal participation in decision-making.
"This is a gross violation of ILO Convention 144 and a betrayal of the Philadelphia Declaration," he said.
The NLC insisted that labour’s representation on the board of the trust fund was "non-negotiable," demanding not a reduction but an increase to three seats to reflect the collective strength of Nigeria’s workforce.
Warning of dire consequences should the legislature proceed with the Bill, Ajaero said the NLC would instruct all unions to stop remitting workers’ contributions to the existing Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
"If the National Assembly proceeds on this treacherous path of legalising the seizure of workers’ funds, we will have no choice but to issue a national directive for all workers to cease deductions and remittances," he said.
He added that the Congress would not allow the Fund to be "hijacked and converted into a tool for primitive accumulation by those who should protect it."
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