ILO, stakeholders develop engagement framework for int’l labour recruitment

 

Stakeholders in the international labour recruitment arena are developing an engagement framework for the facilitation of fair international labour recruitment.

Director, ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Vanessa Phala, who lauded the Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPAN) for providing the umbrella for the gathering, observed that the framework is purely an internal strategy through which engagement by members during international recruitment can be facilitated, complementing well laid down protocols and guidance established by the government of Nigeria.

Phala, who spoke, yesterday in Keffi, Nasarawa state at a five-day enlightenment programme for Private Employment Agencies (PEAs) and other stakeholders, stressed that with an evolving world of work and an increased need for stakeholder engagement in addressing the accompanying challenges, there is a need to ensure broad stakeholders’ participation in the national discourse, including with ILO constituents in the development and implementation of contemporary strategies to address identified challenges.

ILO also acknowledged the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment towards country ratification of the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), expressing readiness to engage further in its effective implementation as well.

On his part, Director-General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale–Smatt Oyerinde, said recruitment, selection and placement are essential components of the Human Resources management cycle.

He insisted that it is essential to get the right people to work in an organisation, adding, “to put an organisation on the right footing, everything should be done to avoid recruitment errors. It is commendable that the Centre for Migration Studies and the ILO are providing guidance to recruitment agencies on how this crucial role should be performed. People make up an organisation. If the employees in an organisation are unsuitable and cannot be trained to carry out the duties of the organisation effectively and efficiently, the organisation is bound to fail.”

In her remarks, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mrs. Juliana Adebambo, observed that as lucrative as outsourcing business may be without fostering compliance with the international best practices and standards, it can plunge the world of work into a big quagmire.

“Recognition of the labour rights and standards reflect the general goal of improving the quality of working life and compliance with the labour administrative laws and guidelines are panacea to economic growth and development. This training and awareness-raising workshop is so timing as is going to further strengthen the capacity of our esteemed stakeholders in enforcement of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for international recruitment, Code of Conduct for Private Employment Agencies, labour administration laws and guidelines and other instruments of best practices which will enhance work efficiency, job satisfaction and economic prosperity,” she stated.

President, HuCaPAN, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo, who spoke earlier said the workshop seeks to enhance the capacity of Private Employment Agencies (PEAs) in implementing fair recruitment practices based on the revised Code of Conduct and the General Principles and Operational Guidelines.