The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), says it will introduce detention allowance to members arrested during protests.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, stated this on Thursday in Abuja while leading workers on a second day of picketing at the Shaanxi Construction Company construction site at the ECOWAS Headquarters.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the NLC picketed the Chinese construction company over claimed unfair labor practices and worker dehumanization.
Mr Austine Okunbor, a driver, died as a result of the poor working circumstances.
It was also claimed that the corporation hired the workers on an ad hoc basis with no terms of service attached and no welfare or medical services in place, sparking a peaceful protest by some of the workers who were arrested.
Ajaero said that the allowance was to show support for members of the union who are harassed and arrested by security personnel during peaceful protests carried out in support of workers maltreated by their employers.
“I am making a pronouncement that henceforth, we are going to introduce detention allowance and this will start from the workers detained for the picketing done by the union yesterday.
“We urge all unions to start immediately because harassment and detention by security personnel is one of the hazards of the job.
“We need to retain this solidarity. It doesn’t matter how much, when a worker is detained because of his or her conviction, there is a need to support the person,” he said.