CHAPTER SIX INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AND PROTECTION OF WORKERS' RIGHTS Given its disadvantaged position in the employment relationship it appears, at least on the surface that the provisions of national laws and ILO Conventions mentioned in the preceding paragraphs are to offer some respite to the worker. Having examined the provisions and the level of compliance, the next question to examine is the capacity of regulatory institutions to enforce the provisions. A related issue is whether the state has the will to protect the weaker partner in the employment relationship. Apart from legislation, the formalised employment relationship is regulated and mediated by a number of structures and institutions which are located within the framework of the labour administration system. Article 1 of the ILO Convention150 defines labour administration as“public administration activities in the field of national labour policy(incorporating labour, employment and vocational training) while the system of labour administration covers all public administration bodies responsible for and, or, engaged in labour administration whether they are ministerial departments or public agencies, including parastatal and regional or local agencies or any form of decentralized administration and any institutional framework for the coordination of activities of such bodies and for consultation with and participation by employers' and workers' organisations(see ILO,1978 for details). This is the institutional framework for ensuring compliance with laws and standards as well as protecting workers' rights. It is the essential duty of labour administration to enforce labour legislation and to offer solutions to the various and complex problems that arise in the world of work. Some of the components of the labour administration system that are of interest to us here include the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, particularly the Departments of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations Department, including the Industrial Arbitration Panel and Inspectorate, the National Industrial Court and the National Labour Advisory Council. In spite of the political allegiance of government to the ruling class whose members constitute the bulk of the employers of labour, it is still expected to protect the interests of all irrespective of class affiliation or social standing. As such within the employment relationship, government, through relevant agencies 61