ROLE OF TRADE UNIONS IN CURBING CASUALISATION OF LABOUR IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Casualisation of labour is an employment practice which is characterized by precarious employment conditions, wherein the employee is denied basic employment benefits accruing to standard/permanent employee. Under this practice, employees are hired on casual basis to perform work of permanent nature directly from the labour market or through a labour broker in a triangular relationship. This employment practice, though not new, has become an anathema in Nigeria. The way and manner Nigerian employers have adopted its practice continues to be of great concern as it has become a dignified labour slavery. Trade unions have been known as the vanguard of employees’ rights protection as it main aim is the furtherance of the welfare of workers. Thus, the persistent wailings of Nigerian casual workers particularly in the construction, banking, telecommunication and oil and gas sectors is troubling aside its negative impact on the economy. This paper through doctrinal research method, interrogates the role of trade in curbing the quagmire of Casualisation in Nigeria. It discusses the anatomy of casualisation of labour in Nigeria by focusing on its evolution, causes, effects and theories. It also examines the meaning, rise and theories of trade unions in Nigeria. It found that trade union as a pressure group has reformatory, educational and oppositional roles in curbing casualisation howbeit, in the midst of certain surmountable challenges like governmental interference and lack of internal democracy. The paper makes recommendations on how trade unions can overcome these challenges.