Hybrid Consult

The last decade has witnessed a lot of changes and developments in the Nigerian labour and employment laws, and with implications for human resources practice.

Nigerian labour and employment laws are not only complex but also continue to evolve. The sources of Nigerian labour and employment laws are diverse including the Nigerian Constitution (as amended), the received English Law, Nigerian legislation, caselaws, trade and industry customs and practices, Collective Bargaining Agreements and International Labour Conventions. Among these sources, caselaws and international labour conventions ratified by Nigeria are fast redefining employment law and the law of labour relations in Nigeria. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Third Alteration) Act (2010) elevated the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) to a superior court of record and conferred it with exclusive jurisdiction over all labour and employment related matters. The jurisdiction of the NICN over unfair labour practices and its powers to invoke and enforce international labour conventions is an important innovative provisions of the third alteration to the 1999 Constitution.

Similarly, the Court’s mandate to apply international best practices in arriving at its decisions has also contributed immensely to the development of a robust caselaw in this important area of law. Another important development is the establishment of the NICN Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre (NICN ADR Centre) by the Court. The Centre is established by the NICN ADR Centre Instrument 2015 while the practice and procedure of the Centre is governed by the NICN ADR Centre Rules 2015. The NICN ADR Centre offers disputing parties access to ADR mechanisms such as Mediation and Conciliation in the settlement of their disputes. These forums offer a quicker, efficient and equitable resolution of labour and employment disputes with little or no damage to relationships.

The current Covid-19 pandemic also continues to have implications for human resources management. The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us new lessons in business crisis management, and every organisation must take steps to audit and review their human resources management systems and processes in response to the workplace challenges created by this ravaging global virus.

These, and lots more, are important developments which every Human Resources manager, Industrial relations manager and legal adviser must be acquainted with and it is against this background that this seminar is conceived.