Reps vote in support of bill to criminalise casualisation of workers after 6 months

The house of representatives has voted in support of a bill seeking to criminalise casualisation of workers by employers in Nigeria after six months of engaging them.

The labour act amendment bill sponsored by Tasir Raji passed for second reading at Tuesday’s plenary session.

The bill seeks to amend the act to provide that workers shall enjoy full employment benefits as a permanent staff after six months of engagement.

Section 8 states: “Every worker in Nigeria engaged or employed by and has remained in such employment for a period of not less than six months shall have his employment or engagement regularised by the employer as a full and permanent staff of such employer with all its accompanying entitlements.

“Any employer who disengages a worker after a period of six months from the date of first engagement without regularising the worker’s employment shall at the date of disengagement pay  to the worker full salary and all allowances and entitlements due to a permanent staff for two months as if the worker has been a permanent staff in the employment of the employer for six months immediately preceding the date of the disengagement provided the worker has not been found liable of any criminal act involving fraud resulting to financial loss to the company.”

The bill also states that failure to comply would attract a fine of maximum of N2 million or imprisonment of two years or both as penalty for individual defaulters.

For corporate bodies, the lawmakers are seeking a fine of maximum of N2 million or imprisonment of two years or both as penalty for each director of the company found to have defaulted.