standards here come from countries where standards are much higher with stiff penalties for non-compliance. The question then is: Why should they find it difficult to cope with prevailing standards in Nigeria which are much lower. If employers are not forthcoming in respecting workers' rights, it becomes pertinent to ask what workers and their organisations are doing to address the situation. It appears that the unions have not been able to do much for their members in the face of right abuses from employers. The precarious situation in the labour market, compounded by the downturn in the economy, is not helping matters, as it makes workers very vulnerable. What comes across from available evidence is that there is still a long road to travel in the struggle for the enforcement of workers' rights as well as ensuring compliance with labour standards, national or international. The situation is compounded by the lack of will on the part of government to protect its citizen-worker in the face of assault by the operators of the global economy who are desperate to accumulate surplus value, even at the expense of the well-being of workers. How best to address the untoward situation should be of concern to students of industrial relations and development. Against the background of the above, this study examines the state of workers' rights and labour standards, with particular focus on the provisions and the extent to which they are complied with and enforced as well as what can be done ensure the protection of workers' rights in Nigeria. Three sectors of the economy; banking, oil and gas and telecommunications were examined. These sectors were selected based on their strategic importance to the Nigerian economy as well as their employment-generating capacity. In carrying out this research, the survey research technique was adopted using a combination of primary and secondary materials. The sample population for this study was drawn from non-managerial employees in the three sectors, since they are the ones at the receiving end of policies and managerial directives which impact on rights at work. Since not all employees in the sectors are unionised, some respondents are not union members. A deliberate attempt was made to get respondents from both unionised and non-unionised organisations. To elicit information from respondents, an open-ended questionnaire containing 43 items was used. Respondents were mostly required to supply answers in their own words to the questions. This approach helps in 2