what is your view concerning the issue of contract employment ,is is backed by Labour Law,If No what has NLC or Fed. Govt done about it.Do you know Companies that operates it,then let the World know them.

mashaun:

what is your view concerning the issue of contract employment ,is is backed by Labour Law,If No what has NLC or Fed. Govt done about it.Do you know Companies that operates it,then let the World know them.

I see this issue as a burning one that needs to be addressed at the national level. It is high time the federal government took it up with the seriousness it deserves.

Imagine a bank that prides itself(name withheld) as one of the top ten in Nigeria having over 60% of its workforce as contact staff(HNDs ONLY). And the so-called contract staff are the ones that majorly have direct interface with the outside world thereby generating bulk of the income.

Their university counterparts earn far more including juicy benefits and the rate of work done is not in anyway different from what the contract-staffs do, in some cases the contract staff undertake job functions that is more challenging than what the professional staffs do. And the reward is a meagre salary without benefit or promotion at the end of the month.

It's high time the CBN did something in form of policy barring such exploitative acts in the banking industry so that those in such situations could enjoy the benefits as stated in international labour law.

I stand to be corrected on any argument as aforementioned.

REACTIONS, PLEASE!!.

I am a victim in one of the banks.A (B.sc) holder with second class honours (upper division)

People will not contribute to meaningful topics like this but if it's all about sex, pussy and dicks, that is when hundreds will pour in contributions.

Na wah for all of una.

I feel CBN, NLC and FG are the ones encouraging those banks. They cannot tell us that they don't know about the devilish acts those banks carryout.

it is not even only the banks,manufacturing set ups go as far as exposing thse employees to the war fornt,at the end of the day,performance bonus /incentive s are distributed to the permanent employee,
it is purely a slavery,may God bless us.
govt has tos atnd against this.
cannt we list thir names out ?

Banks are not the only culprits, other sectors like the Telecoms, Oil and Gas are also involved. I am a victim in one of them- MTN. I also hear celtel does the same. For Oil companies, it's not that obvious since they pay them very well, but contract is contract sha.
It's realy unfair that these organisations are taking advantage of the prevalent unemployment in the country to exploit graduates. The discrimination is something else, no allowances, no benefits, no provision for healthcare, you can't make use of the staff bus and yet you do the same work with the full staff if not more. Infact initially there was no provision for leave for contract staff in my place of work. It took a colleague that put to bed, loosing her job (since she had to go on a compulsory leave) before that policy could be reviewed.

I think it's high time the Govt and Labour do something about this, at least if they can't stop it entirely,there should be a policy in place stipulating a time frame for one to be under contract after which the company absorbs the person. Can you imagine someone being a contract staff for more than three years without any plans in place of absorbing the person and when you leave, you leave with nothing. It's really disheartening, God will help us sha.

Banks are not the only culprits, other sectors like the Telecoms, Oil and Gas are also involved. I am a victim in one of them- MTN. I also hear celtel does the same. For Oil companies, it's not that obvious since they pay them very well, but contract is contract sha.
It's realy unfair that these organisations are taking advantage of the prevalent unemployment in the country to exploit graduates. The discrimination is something else, no allowances, no benefits, no provision for healthcare, you can't make use of the staff bus and yet you do the same work with the full staff if not more. Infact initially there was no provision for leave for contract staff in my place of work. It took a colleague that put to bed, loosing her job (since she had to go on a compulsory leave) before that policy could be reviewed.

I think it's high time the Govt and Labour do something about this, at least if they can't stop it entirely,there should be a policy in place stipulating a time frame for one to be under contract after which the company absorbs the person. Can you imagine someone being a contract staff for more than three years without any plans in place of absorbing the person and when you leave, you leave with nothing. It's really disheartening, God will help us sha[/color][color=#990000][color=#990000][/color]

EXACTLY.
INCLUDING THOSE FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANY

TRUE TALK BUT THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THE GOVT AND THE VARIOUS REGULATORY BODIES ARE PRETENDING NOT TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING,SO HOW CAN THIS EVIL DID BE STOP LETS PUT IDEAS TOGETHER TO SEE HOW WE CAN PUBLISH THIS IN THE DAILIES MEDIA HOUSE, OR POSSIBLY A MOTION TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ETC TO ADDRESS THIS EVIL, COS WHEN AN ABOMINATION IS ALLOWED FOR TOO LONG IT BECOMES A NORM.WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILTIES OF PUTTING END TO IT. PLEASE DROP UR IDEAS

I think the joy or pains of contract jobs depend on your negotiating power. Most people go into contract jobs with the same mentality that they use for regular employment and I think this is where the problem stems from.
I usualy work on contract for consulting firms in the construction industry (and occasionaly, software companies). Most of these companies are cosultants to oil and gas coys.
I always make sure I understand the scope of work that is expected of me and also the possible duration of the work. I weigh the merits against the demerits and I make sure I propose a wage that I find very comfortable. I ussualy find my self earning more than my contemporaries in regular employment.
The idea is to find a balance btwn wage, work schedule and work conditions. If a client is not able to pay a good sum (lets say I'm offered #30k). I might accept this price if the job is something I'm convinced I can finish in about four days or less, even if it means working double-overtime. I get a comprehensive brief from the client, persuade the client to allow me work from my comfort zone (home) and I make sure I peg the price to the brief as delivered to me. Any alteration will attract more money.
I discharge the job in good time and at a high standard so that I ussualy don't have to work on it again. That way I quickly earn my money and have time for other jobs.
I pull in #150k-#250k monthly working from home and I've lots of free time.

@ @tomx
am sure u dont understand the contract job been talked about here u may need to read from the beginning to understand better

@ @tomx
am sure u don't understand the contract job been talked about here u  may need to read from the beginning to understand better

Well I've read through the postings again. all I'm saying is that in every employment, there is a period of negotiation. A contract staff should understand from the begining that they are not eligible for the same benefits as regular employees and this should play a part in the kind of salary they negotiate for. They shouldn't just take whatever is put on the table then whine about being exploited. Negotiate for a good wage (even if it's higher than that of regular employees - and it realy should be since your work is short term and without benefits), and show the prospective employer why you are worth that much. If you realy have something good to offer, they will take you.Negotiation is the Key.

As long as there are more people in the labour market than there are jobs, the advantage is with the employer. Thus there is always a tendency towards exploitation. But if prospective employees are to arm themselves with good working knowledge of the industry they wish to play in then they become assets to their empoyers and the negotiating power tilts in their favour. If one is just a mediocre then one should be happy to get any job at all.

We can't depend entirely on labour laws to controll wages in the industry. Divers and welders in the oil and gas firms work on contract and they often get more pay than their regular (office) staff. Their job is critical to the industry, it's high risk and they know it. This boosts their negotiation power.

A firm once offered me #50k for full employment which I turned down. The same firm now pays me $15 per hour on contract basis when I do anything for them. I only need to work for a week to make what their regular staff (who earn #70k-#100k each) earn.