SENATE DIVIDES OVER A BILL SEEKING TO SILENT LABOUR UNIONS AGAINST GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-LABOUR POLICY

SENATE DIVIDES OVER A BILL SEEKING TO SILENT LABOUR UNIONS AGAINST GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-LABOUR POLICY The Senate has been sharply divided over a proposed legislation seeking to make provisions for ballots as a requirement for labour unions before embarking on industrial action against any government policy. Leading debate on the bill, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri explained that the proposed amendment to the Trade Union Act was to bring the practice of industrial action in trade unionism in line with global best practice as obtained in Great Britain, USA, Canada, France, Belgium, South Africa among others. The lawmaker also stressed that the conduct of a ballot as specified by the amendment would spare the nation and the trade union the misfortune of any arbitrary action undertaken by the leadership of any labour union. Other senators who supported the bill, argued that nobody was contesting the right of workers to express their right, but that the labour has more often than not operated beyond their bounds hence the need for this law. However, other senators led by Senator Femi Lanleyin from Oyo state kicked against the bill describing it as anti people saying that if it is passed into law, it will be a recipe for crisis in the country. Our correspondent has the rest of the report. COV/TJ