NECA meets with the Senate

 The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has commended the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria for the intervention on the issue of threat by the Minister of Labour & Employment to withdraw the licences of Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), who fail to heed his directive to suspend redundancy exercise in the sector. Speaking in Lagos yesterday, the Director General of NECA, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo, commended the Senate for what it called “a very mature, unbiased and inclusive disposition to conflict resolution”. He assures the Senate that NECA and its members will be in attendance at the interactive session called by the Senate for Thursday, 16th June, 2016.

The voice of the employers, NECA, remarked that “the meeting was timely, appropriate and would provide the platform to proffer a solution to the issue of management of redundancy with the interests of all – government, workers and employers alike, in mind.  The employers maintained that things would not have gone out of hands if the Ministry of labour and employment, who is supposed to be the custodian of tripartism and social dialogue, had acted the way the Senate has done without biases, prejudices and a dictatorial character. The Director- General affirmed that “we are in a democracy and every well meaning Nigerian should rebuff attempts by any government personality to ascribe to himself a role beyond what the law permits, even when he is whipping up the sentiments of patriotism and defender of the masses.”

NECA expressed its sympathy for Nigerian workers and masses who have had to bear the brunt of the current economic downturn, which was not caused by the employers, but have themselves been major victims. NECA assures workers who have been affected by redundancy that the body will do all within its power to ensure that their employers pay them redundancy benefits. It urges any worker that has been so affected to contact the organization (with their names and the company they worked for) by sending an email to: benefits@neca.org.ng

NECA equally extends the olive branch to the NLC and TUC. In the words of the Director General, Olusegun Oshinowo, “we are asking our brothers and sisters in the movement to sheath their  Swords and come to the dialogue table. We are prepared to discuss all issues, as we have always done in time past. NECA pleads with the government to focus its attention on the creation of an enabling environment that will support wealth creation and business survival. NECA expressed that it is a healthy economy that produces jobs and guarantees job security.