Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

Minimum Age (Underground Work) Convention, 1965 (No. 123) - Nigeria (Ratification: 1974)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report.

The Committee recalls that for a number of years, it has been requesting the Government to indicate measures taken to give effect to the Convention (Article 4, paragraph 5), under which the employer shall make available to the workers’ representatives, at their request, lists of the persons who are employed in work underground and who are less than two years older than the minimum age specified by the Government which is 16 years. The lists should contain the dates of birth of persons aged between 16 and 18 years and the dates at which they were employed or worked underground in the undertaking for the first time.

The Committee notes that under section 62 of the Labour Act, every employer is required to keep a register of all young persons in his employment with particulars of their ages, the date of employment and the conditions and nature of their employment and to produce the register for inspection when required by an authorized labour officer. The Committee further notes that under section 91(1) of the same Act, "young person" means a person under the age of 18 years and "industrial undertaking" includes mines, quarries and other works for the extraction of minerals from the earth. The Committee therefore requests the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that section 62 of the Labour Act is amended so that such registers may also be made available to workers’ representatives, at their request. The Committee asks the Government to inform it of progress made in this regard in its next report.