The Women’s Wing of Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday, said that it was mobilising to fight s*xual harassment against women, child labour and under-age marriage.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, Ms Olubunmi Abikoye, the Chairperson of Lagos wing of the NLC, told newsmen: “We are working on a programme to move against women’s s*xual harassment and child labour, including under-age marriage, before the year runs out.

“We are mobilising support to show that we are not in support of all the s*xual harassment that is going on at an alarming rate, both in the public and private sectors. We also frown at child marriage and say no to it.”

According to Abikoye, the union was partnering with some non-governmental organisations and women’s groups in various organisations, market women and the grassroots, to carry women from all cadres along.

She also called on the Federal and state governments to revert maternity leave for women to 84 working days, instead of the current 84 days that included weekends.



She said: “The 84 days with weekends are not enough for a woman, who has carried a pregnancy for nine months, to take care of herself and her baby after birth.

“Government should, therefore, revert to the 84 working days maternity leave.”

Abikoye also advised women in the private sector to watch out for clauses that peg maternity leave at one month and reject them, while signing employment contracts.

She said that the wing was working with various women’s groups to identify other areas where women’s rights were being violated and to tackle them.

She expressed concern about the violation of women’s rights in the banking and insurance sectors, adding that the union had identified some local and international firms that employed children, and would picket them.

http://www.informationng.com/2013/10/nlc-mobilises-to-fight-sxual-harassment-child-labour.html