Framework for Occupational Health and Safety in Nigeria: The Implication for the Trade Union Movement

Abstract

The rate of the industrial accidents and the general lethargy of the employers to respond to the issues of safety and health in workplaces are becoming a growing concern in Nigeria. The policy framework targeted towards reducing the rate of industrial accidents through preventive measures as well as to create awareness on the rights of victims of industrial accidents need be strengthened. Most importantly, is the faulty implementation and regulation of the legal framework governing issues of safety in workplaces that needed to be reviewed. This study takes a critical look at role of trade unions in combating these critical issues threatening the lives of average workers in Nigeria and suggests that the  trade unions and other workers’ organizations should continue to display courage and solidarity in the protection of the worker’ rights and welfare. All stakeholders must be mobilized for concerted efforts against unpopular government policies that tend protect the employers at the expense of the lives of the workers.

Keywords: Protection, Industrial Accidents, Workplace, Trade Unions, Worker ‘Rights, occupational Health.