Nigeria ranks among the ten worst countries for workers

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

Nigeria has been ranked among the ten countries with the poorest protection of workers’ rights, according to the 2026 Global Rights Index released by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

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The report describes a bleak picture of labour rights in the country, citing attacks on trade union independence, arbitrary arrests, intimidation of workers, and widespread union‑busting by both government officials and employers.

The annual ITUC Global Rights Index evaluates roughly 150 countries on their respect for fundamental workers’ rights, such as the freedom to organise, engage in collective bargaining, strike, and speak freely.

According to the global labour body, the 2026 findings represent the worst conditions recorded since the index was first published.

Nigeria’s low ranking was partly attributed to developments in Edo State, where the labour movement has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis.

The ITUC reported that the situation worsened in December 2024 when the Edo State Government allegedly occupied the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Secretariat in Benin City with the help of police officers and hired thugs. The building was reportedly locked, and an alternative leadership was imposed in place of the duly elected state NLC chairman.

The crisis deepened in August 2025 when the Edo State House of Assembly passed a motion urging the NLC to halt plans to inaugurate a caretaker committee for the state council, despite the union’s lack of constitutional authority over the body. When NLC officials arrived in Benin City to conduct the inauguration, they reportedly found the secretariat still locked and surrounded by security personnel and suspected political loyalists.

According to the report, the labour leaders were chased across the city and forced to inaugurate the caretaker committee at a secret location to avoid violence. The NLC secretariat remains under occupation, with the recognised leadership denied access.

The ITUC also highlighted widespread union‑busting by employers across Nigeria.

It accused MTN Nigeria of denying certain categories of workers the right to join the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN), the union of their choice. The report further alleged that Daewoo Nigeria prevented workers from joining their preferred union in violation of Nigerian labour laws.

At the Dangote Refinery, the global labour body claimed workers were compelled to join a management‑backed union, while some employees were dismissed for affiliating with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG). The company was also accused of establishing so‑called “yellow unions” to weaken genuine collective bargaining.

The ITUC warned that the erosion of workers’ rights in Nigeria reflects a broader global trend, with democratic freedoms for workers coming under increasing pressure in many countries.

It called on governments and employers to uphold international labour standards and protect the rights of workers to organise freely without fear of intimidation, discrimination or reprisals.

Vanguard News

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