Nigeria makes history, ratifies ILO conventions on workplace violence and OHS
Nigeria on 8 November 2022 deposited with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) the instrument of ratification of ILO Convention No. 190 on the Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. It becomes the 22nd country next to Panama to ratify the said convention.
“The step shows our shared commitment to give Africa’s largest work force the priority attention it deserves,” Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Sen. Chris Nwabueze Ngige said.
The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the same day also deposited with the ILO the instrument of ratification of ILO Convention No. 187 on the Promotional Framework for the Occupational Safety and Health Convention. It is one of two OHS conventions that has been added this year to the category of instruments in the area of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
“The deposit of these two ratified conventions today is historic. It is the first time in the history of the current administration in Nigeria to ratify two conventions within a year, one fundamental convention, C.187, and one technical Convention, C.190,” Ngige said.
BWI lauded Nigeria and its trade union affiliates in the country for its historic twin ratification of the said instruments. The global union said that the ratifications point to the success of its campaigns on gender equality and workplace health and safety.
ILO Convention No. 190 and 187 are both actively being promoted by BWI and its affiliates in different parts of the world. BWI women trade unionists are at the forefront of pushing for more country ratifications of ILO Convention 190, while ILO Convention 187 is part of the global union’s successful international campaign that persuaded the ILO to declare workplace health and safety as a fundamental worker’s right.