The European Union, speaking at the International Labour Conference on 5 June 2026, called on Nigeria to take concrete steps to enforce the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (C.98), including investigating anti-union discrimination and amending laws that restrict collective bargaining for public sector workers. The statement, delivered by the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva, welcomed Nigeria's National Industrial Relations Policy and information on collective agreements, but expressed regret over the lack of adequate dispute resolution mechanisms, interference in collective bargaining, and insufficient implementation of agreements.
The EU's intervention comes as part of the ILO Committee on Application of Standards' review of Nigeria's compliance with Convention 98. The EU noted its support for Nigeria's social dialogue system through a technical assistance project under the 'Global Deal' implemented by the ILO and OECD in 2023-2024. It also highlighted that Nigeria's trade benefits under the EU's Standard Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) are conditional on respect for core ILO conventions, including C.98.
The EU acknowledged ongoing ILO technical assistance to convene legal drafting retreats for labour law reform, urging speedy finalisation of the Collective Labour Relations Bill, Labour Standards Bill, and other bills. It requested the government to investigate allegations of anti-union discrimination referred by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and to provide a report on consultations regarding mass dismissals for union membership.
Specific legal changes demanded include amending the Trade Disputes Act to remove ministerial approval for collective agreements on wages, and ensuring full collective bargaining rights for all public sector workers not engaged in administering the state, including prison services and the Central Bank of Nigeria. The EU stressed that legal provisions against anti-union discrimination must be effectively applied in practice.
The statement was aligned with candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova, as well as EFTA country Norway. The EU encouraged further exchanges between Nigeria and the ILO to implement the Committee of Experts' recommendations and engage meaningfully with social partners.