Rights groups call for end to casualisation in developing countries

By Philip Nwosu

Members of the Bureau of African Labour Human and Democratic Rights (BALHADER), the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights Democratic in Africa (CDHRDA), and the over 5000 Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), have called for an end to casualisation of workers in developing countries. This demand was made during a joint press conference in Lagos to mark the International Criminal Justice Day.

The groups declared that perpetual casualisation should be considered a crime against humanity.

Chairman of the MWUN, Olumegbo Babatunde, presented a key paper detailing the plight of Nigerian dockworkers from 2,000 to 2024. He highlighted that over 9,000 dockworkers were sacked without any form of disengagement, and over 900 of these workers died without compensation.

Babatunde attributed the issues to the persistent casualisation of Nigerian dockworkers by the government, comparing the severity of the situation to the holocaust of World War II.

Yomi Adeoti, who sustained severe injuries while working onboard the vessel ‘Invincible IMO’ at Greenview Development Terminal, owned by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, shared his experience. Despite the injuries, his employer, Ultimate Marine Merchandise Nigeria Limited, has not reached out to him. BALHADER has written to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and other stakeholders. However, only the ILO responded and coordinated with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which denied the occurrence of Adeoti’s accident and the existence of BALHADER.

The Programme Director of BALHADER, Uchenna Uzoije, elaborated on the detrimental effects of perpetual casualisation in developing nations, particularly highlighting the exploitation of female workers. According to Uzoije, 85 percent of the interviewed female employees reported being subjected to sexual harassment to retain their jobs and receive fair pay. He also noted the long-term mental and physical torture faced by casual workers.

Uzoije criticised the failure of NIMASA and Greenview Development Terminal to address these issues and called for national and international intervention. He urged the Nigerian government to pass new employment laws to end casualisation, following the example set by Greece.

The groups also called out the illegal re-election of Adewale Adeyanju as the leader of MWUN, as stated by Mr. Amos Falonipe, Director of Registrar of Trade Unions, during a conciliation meeting convened by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. They accused Adeyanju of fraud and urged the government to address the non-payment of over 5000 sacked MWUN members, highlighting that over 705 of these workers have died since their dismissal.

The groups appealed to the government to declare a state of emergency regarding current recruitment processes and to ensure justice for the affected dockworkers.