By Victor Ahiuma-Young
Nigeria has been ranked among the 10 worst countries in the world for workers’ rights, according to the 2026 Global Rights Index released by the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC.
Read Also: Right to strike: Labour, employers at war over ICJ affirmation
The report paints a grim picture of the state of labour rights in the country, citing attacks on trade union independence, arbitrary arrests, intimidation of workers, and widespread union-busting practices by both government authorities and employers.
The annual ITUC Global Rights Index assesses around 150 countries on their respect for workers’ fundamental rights, including the freedom to organise, engage in collective bargaining, strike, and speak freely.
According to the global labour body, the 2026 findings represent the worst conditions recorded since the index was established.
Nigeria’s poor ranking was attributed in part to developments in Edo State, where the labour movement has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis.
The ITUC reported that the situation deteriorated sharply in December 2024 when the Edo State Government allegedly occupied the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Secretariat in Benin City with the assistance of police officers and hired thugs.
The building was reportedly locked, while an alternative leadership was imposed in place of the duly elected state NLC chairman.
The crisis deepened in August 2025 when the Edo State House of Assembly passed a motion urging the NLC to halt plans to inaugurate a caretaker committee for the state council despite lacking constitutional authority over the union. When NLC officials arrived in Benin City to conduct the inauguration, they reportedly found the secretariat still under lock and key and surrounded by security personnel and suspected political loyalists.
According to the report, the labour leaders were chased across the city and forced to inaugurate the caretaker committee at a secret location to avoid violence. The NLC secretariat, the report noted, remains under occupation, with the recognised leadership denied access.
The ITUC also highlighted widespread union-busting by employers across Nigeria.
It accused MTN Nigeria of denying certain categories of workers the right to join the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PTECSSAN, the union of their choice.
The report further alleged that Daewoo Nigeria had prevented workers from joining their preferred union in violation of Nigerian labour laws.
At the Dangote Refinery, the global labour body claimed workers were compelled to join a management-backed union, while some employees were dismissed for affiliating with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG. The company was also accused of establishing so-called “yellow unions” to weaken genuine collective bargaining.
The ITUC warned that the erosion of workers’ rights in Nigeria reflects a broader global trend, with democratic freedoms for workers coming under increasing pressure across many countries.
It called on governments and employers to uphold international labour standards and protect the rights of workers to organise freely without fear of intimidation, discrimination or reprisals.
