STRENGTHENING LEGAL MEASURES TO UPHOLD THE RIGHTS OF TEMPORARY WORKERS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Casualisation, a method of employment in which people are engaged without a
permanent appointment contract, is currently highly prevalent in Nigeria. This has
become a social phenomenon and a cankerworm in labour relations in various
industries across developing countries of the world. Many industrialised nations
are experiencing an increase in non-standard casual or temporary employment.
Adopting the doctrinal research methodology, this paper examined casual labour
protection in Nigeria with the focus on strengthening legal measures to uphold the
rights of temporary workers. The findings revealed that most unemployed people
struggling to get decent jobs choose to fight poverty and inequality by becoming
casual workers in either the private or public sector of the economy. Workers are
often recruited at the gates and fired at will daily. The fact that these workers
contribute greatly to the profits and revenue rise of the organisation they work for,
they remain classified as casuals and subject to deplorable and inhumane working
terms. It is further revealed that the major causes of labour casualisation include
globalisation and trade liberalisation, technological changes, abundance of labour
supplies (overcrowded labour market), deregulation of both product and labour
market and unprecedented promotion of outsourcing practice among employers. It
is recommended that the Labour Act be amended or a robust and detailed legal
framework on labour relations be enacted to clearly state the tenure of a casual
worker so that employers will be discouraged from keeping them permanently
under precarious conditions with no rights as casual workers.