Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, on Wednesday , in Ilorin, decried perceived unfair employment policy in the country, and called for the review of employment laws to protect the interest of workers wherever they are employed in the country.

The governor spoke while declaring open the 9th National Labour Relations Summit and award ceremony of Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS, Ilorin.

Represented by his deputy, Elder Peter Kishira, the governor argued that his call for a review of employment laws became necessary because "a situation where workers are summarily dismissed, especially in the private and informal sectors without due process or where employees are barred from forming, or joining labour unions is inimical to freedom of association and the right to fair hearing and must therefore be stopped through appropriate legislation.

"As we prepare for another national dialogue, we must bring the issues of collective bargaining especially as it concerns the liberalisation of wages to the fore so that we can legislate on a position that addresses the concern of workers and consider the financial capabilities of states."

Governor Ahmed also insisted that government must create space for engagement with key stakeholders such as labour to gauge public needs, noting however that such engagement with labour was often forced by threats of or actual industrial action.

According to him, given organised labour's role as an important index of legitimacy, the stakeholders must ensure that the laws guiding the labour sector in the country reflected contemporary needs and interests.
The governor commended organized labour and MINILS for promoting industrial harmony and excellent labour administration in the state.