A bill seeking to regulate the employment of domestic workers and other informal sector employees has scaled second reading at the Senate.

The bill was sponsored by Mohammed Sani (APC- Niger).

Presenting the bill, Mr Sani said it also sought to empower the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to monitor privately owned agencies that employ informal workers.

Mr Sani said the informal sector operation was usually on a small scale with labour-intensive production and usually private ownership driven.

He said the participation of the Nigerian economy by the informal sector showed evidence of a violation of employee rights and non-implementation of labour regulations.

“Informal sector in Nigeria has a practice that is not in conformity to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) best practices as ratified in its convention, notwithstanding that Nigerian is a signatory to this conventions.

“There are still a lot of deficits in its implementation of these conventions; one of such area of concern relates to decent work deficit, decent work is work with fair and equal treatments, decent remuneration, and fair condition of employment, safety and social protection, opportunities for training and collective bargaining,” he explained.

He said the primary role of the bill was to regulate the sector to promote strategic objectives, promotion of rights at work, employment, social protection and social dialogue.

Mr Sani said many jobs in the informal labour market still experience a decent work deficit, adding that employees in the informal sector were often seen as having no rights, and were not treated fairly by their employers.

According to him, the bill seeks to correct all the ills against the workers.

Contributing, Sabi Abdullahi (APC- Niger) said it was also important to ensure that the bill has provisions to protect employers as there have been instances where employees mistreated the employers.

Following approval of the bill for second reading, Senate President Ahmad Lawan thereafter referred it to Committee on Labour and Productivity for further legislative input.

The committee is expected to return back in four weeks.

(NAN)