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ICJ Affirms Right to Strike as Global Landmark Victory, Sparks Debate Between Labor and NECA
BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The organized labor movement on Monday hailed a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) confirming that the right to strike is implicit in Convention 87 as a landmark victory for workers worldwide.
However, the ruling has sparked a fresh domestic debate, with labor representatives strongly criticizing the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) for attempting to downplay the judgment’s impact.
The controversy escalated following a television appearance by the Director-General of NECA, Mr. Adewale Smatt-Oyerinde.
Speaking on TVC, Oyerinde argued that the right to strike is not automatic and asserted that workers must still adhere strictly to existing local labor laws, specifically citing Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act (TDA).
He also suggested that a meeting of social partners to establish complimentary conditions remains a necessary precondition before any strike action can be declared.
Labor representatives quickly fired back, labeling Oyerinde’s remarks as an “unnecessary academic exercise in futility” and a selective interpretation of international law. Critics accused the NECA boss of being economical with the historical background of the dispute, pointing out that the issue had already undergone exhaustive debate across various levels of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The legal battle began when the global Employers’ Group challenged whether the right to strike was protected under Convention 87.
After the ILO Governing Board affirmed the right through a majority decision, the Employers’ Group appealed the matter to the ICJ. As the highest judicial body in the world, the ICJ’s subsequent ruling in favor of workers is considered definitive and legally binding.
Labor advocates emphasize that Nigeria ratified Convention 87 in 1960, signaling a long-standing commitment to its principles. They argue that following the ICJ’s conclusive verdict, both the Nigerian government and employer bodies like NECA are obligated to obey the law unconditionally rather than selectively hiding behind local statutes to weaken workers’ rights.
Reassuring the public and the business community, labor stakeholders maintained that a strike has never been the first option for workers, but rather a last resort. They cautioned that an adversarial interpretation of the ICJ ruling by employers would only harm industrial harmony, urging instead for mutual respect and total adherence to international legal frameworks to guide future industrial relations in Nigeria.
The post ICJ Affirms Right to Strike as Global Landmark Victory, Sparks Debate Between Labor and NECA appeared first on Business Today NG.
Health experts have advised that all candidate treatments and vaccines for Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus should be used exclusively within clinical trials to ensure safe, ethical, and effective research.
A statement made available on Thursday said that the experts were convened by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to it, the recommendation comes in response to the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with additional cases reported in Uganda, and follows assessments by multiple WHO experts and advisory groups.
“WHO convened meetings with its Research and Development (R&D) Blueprint technical advisory groups on candidate vaccines and therapeutics for Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD) to evaluate options for both prevention and treatment.
“In parallel, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation and its Ebola vaccine working group reviewed the potential role of licensed Ebola vaccines during BVD outbreaks,” it said.
The statement said that there are currently no licensed therapeutics or vaccines specifically approved for the prevention and treatment of BVD, though several candidate products were identified as promising enough to prioritise for clinical trial evaluation.
It noted that for treatment of confirmed BVD cases, independent experts recommended prioritising three candidates: the monoclonal antibodies MBP134 and Maftivimab®, and the antiviral remdesivir.
“Combination therapy using a monoclonal antibody and remdesivir was also recommended for evaluation in research settings.
“For prevention, the oral antiviral obeldesivir was identified as a priority candidate for post-exposure prophylaxis among contacts of confirmed and probable cases,” it said.
According to it, experts noted that post-exposure prophylaxis with obeldesivir depends on effective contact tracing, which remains operationally challenging in some affected areas of the DRC.
It said the most promising vaccine candidate is the single-dose rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine being developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, though it is expected to require 7–9 months before it is ready for clinical trial assessment.
It said that another candidate, ChAdOx1 Bundibugyo from Oxford University and the Serum Institute of India, could potentially be available within two to three months for efficacy testing, pending additional animal data.
“Experts suggested a single-dose approach for contacts of cases, while a two-dose strategy might be considered for high-risk but unexposed populations such as health-care workers and frontline responders.
READ ALSO: Ebola: WHO says conflict, mistrust hindering response as suspected cases top 900 in DRC
“The groups also reviewed Ervebo, the only licensed Ebola vaccine, which is approved for outbreaks caused by the most common Ebola virus in Africa but is not licensed for BVD and lacks conclusive evidence of cross-protection,” it said.
The statement said that the WHO recommended that Ervebo should not be used outside carefully designed research settings to allow its performance against BVD to be properly assessed.
“WHO, the governments of the DRC and Uganda, Africa CDC, ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases, and other partners are now working to develop protocols for clinical field trials.
“While continuing to rely on established Ebola response measures like surveillance, contact tracing, isolation, testing, community engagement, and safe burials to stop transmission,” it said. (NAN)
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