The recognition of casual employment by the law is not a validation of the practice of casualisation which appears to be tolerated due to socio-economic considerations.
Casual employment (also known as Non-Standard Work Arrangement (NSWA) is a term commonly associated with employment relationships characterised by non-permanent status of the employee or successive term contract arrangements such as fixed contract, contract work, on-call work, part-time and temporary work.
One of the defining features of such work arrangements is the deprivation of job security and other social security in the form of pensions, health and life insurance, etc. which would normally accrue to a permanent employee.
Although there is no statutory definition of ‘casualisation’ or ‘casual work’ under the Labour Act, the Act provides that a worker should not be employed for more than three months without the formal recognition of such employment evidenced by a written statement stating the terms and conditions of employment by the employer.
However, in Owena Mass Transportation Co. Ltd v. Okonogbo , the Court of Appeal defined a casual employee as a worker engaged for a period of less than 6 months and who is paid at the end of each day.
