The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has urged Nigeria’s judiciary to prioritise justice over technical neutrality in labour disputes, warning that so-called neutrality often ends up favouring the powerful against vulnerable workers.
Speaking at the 4th International Labour Adjudication and Arbitration Forum in Abuja, Ajaero said courts must recognise the imbalance between employers and employees and resist decisions that legitimise unfair dismissals, restrict lawful strikes or weaken collective bargaining.
He maintained that workers’ rights are fundamental human rights and cautioned that delayed or inconsistent judgments in labour matters erode public confidence in the justice system.
As economic pressures mount and industrial tensions rise, Ajaero’s message was clear: the judiciary remains the last hope of the ordinary worker.
But in critical labour disputes, will the courts truly stand with the weak — or retreat into neutrality that protects the powerful?
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