The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Union urges Buhari to halt expatriate quota abuse

    Union urges Buhari to halt expatriate quota abuse

    •’Nigerians’ jobs threatened

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to end expatriate quota abuse by foreign construction companies in the country.

    Workers claimed that the practice is taking a toll on the welfare of the few Nigerians in the industry.

    Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) President, Comrade Isaac Egbugara, said at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, that the jobs of Nigerians in the industry were now threatened.

    He called on the regulatory authorities to monitor, enforce and sanction erring construction companies.

    Egbugara said: “The NEC-in-session observed with dismay that numerous construction companies operating in the country deliberately flout the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially as it concerns expatriate quota. While seriously frowning at this, we call on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to revisit the ‘Local Content Bill for the construction industry’, which has dragged-on for longer than necessary.”

    He regretted the mass retrenchment of construction workers across the country, blaming it on the poor funding of projects, especially those belonging to the government.

    While urging the government to, as a matter of urgency,  pay the debts owed construction companies, especially for completed projects, Egbugara urged the government to adequately fund ongoing projects in order to reduce the high level of job loss in the industry.

    The union, he said, also advocated a bailout for the industry as was done to the state governments, urging the government to declare a state of emergency in the industry as one of the major employers of labour to avoid a total collapse of an industry that employs more workers outside the civil service.

    Concerning the improvement in the nation’s security, most especially the significant progress recorded in the fight against insurgency in the Northeastern part of Nigeria, the construction workers said it was commendable as it would be in the best interest of the construction industry and favour even infrastructural development of the country.

    Also commended was the government’s resilience and doggedness  in fighting corruption and its resolve to save the nation from the serious rot and decay that has almost brought the country to its knees, especially the ongoing drive to recover looted public funds.

  • Stop slave labour, TUC tells NECA

    Stop slave labour, TUC tells NECA

    labour has accused the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) of being ‘’anti-worker”.

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) alleged that NECA is running a primitive policy that encourages slave labour.

    TUC President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama  said in Abuja that NECA has the worst record of enslaving workers in the private sector.

    NECA, TUC alleged, does not  provide a conducive working environment,encourags casualisation and pays peanuts. These, he Kaigama said, had led to picketing of many NECA members by trade unions.

    Kaigama was reacting to a statement by NECA Director-General, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo,  that the Ministry of Labour and Employment is ineffective because it allows trade unions to collect check-off dues and go on strike.

    The TUC chief stressed the need for NECA’s top hierarchy to familiarise itself with the historical development of trade union movement in Nigeria and the evolution of automatic check-off dues.

    He recalled that the 1978 re-structuring of the trade unions was to make them formidable and financially viable in line with the recommendation of Michael Abiodun Committee.

    “Prior to the restructuring, the trade unions in Nigeria depended largely on donations from foreign labour centres and political parties in the country and these posed grave national security challenges.

    “It was to check this threat and ensure the trade unions are financially independent that the then military regime of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo accepted the recommendation of Michael Abiodun Panel that the trade unions should be granted automatic check-off dues,” he said.

    According to Kaigama, since the enactment of Decree 22 of 1978 that gave effect to the present trade unions, including NECA, there had been a great deal of stability in trade union movement with its positive impact on the economy.

    “At any rate, if Oshinowo and his fellow travellers in NECA have engaged in international labour best practices by paying living wage, providing conducive working environment, stop casualisation of workers, among others, the trade unions in the private sector will not be embarking on strikes.

    “Besides, the NECA chieftain should realise that Nigeria is governed by laws and regulations, therefore, his campaign along the line of stoppage of automatic check-off dues will be resisted by the trade unions,” he stressed.

    Kaigama said the spate of strike in the country would have been worse but for the professional manner the labour ministry has been handling issues of labour relations in the country.

    ”Moreover, the labour centre pointed out that Section 5(3) of the Labour Act stipulates clearly that: ‘upon the registration and recognition of any of the trade unions specified in part A of Schedule 3 of the Trade Unions Act, the employer shall make deduction from the wages of all workers eligible to be members of the union for the purpose of paying contributions to the trade union so recognised,” he emphasised

    Kaigama said the Nigerian labour laws recognise the trade unions, the NECA and the government both as an employer and a regulator as equal partners in the industrial relations arena as enunciated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    The TUC leader, therefore, advised  NECA and its chief to refrain from campaigning against automatic check-off dues for trade unions and concentrate on curbing the uncivilised practices of its members.

  • Fed Govt woos UAE on skills export

    Labour and Employment Minister Dr Chris Ngige, has urged United Arab Emirates (UAE) to activate the process of the migration of skilled Nigerian middle level workers into its country under the International Labour Migration guidelines.

    Ngige spoke in Abuja, when  UAE’s Ambassador to Nigeria,  Mahmood Mohammed Almahmood, visited him over on the death of the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi.

    He  said: “In consonance with the spirit of the relationship, which exists between our two countries, and which President, Muhammadu Buhari has further bolstered with his recent official visit to the United Arab Emirates, and considering the series of agreements signed in the areas of trade, economic development, investment and industry as well as legal cooperation among others, my ministry wishes to  request that you activate the process of labour  migration and employment into the UAE  for skilled Nigerian  workers.”

    Dr. Ngige said it was Nigeria’s desire to export skilled middle level workers, whether they are carpenters, bricklayers, tillers, painters etc. “We want to export them officially under the International Labour Migration Organisation guidelines just like we are trying to do with Qatar,” he said.

    Nigeria, according to the minister, no doubt, has high skilled professionals such as engineers, medical doctors, nurses and others already  in the UAE, but wants to push people from the  middle cadre who have  blue collar skills.

    Amb. Mahmood Mohammed assured that the UAE would cooperate with Nigeria to promote trade and employment.

  • TUC to NERC: Ensure stable power before tariff hike

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has reiterated its position against moves by the Nigeria Electricity Commission (NERC), electricity distribution and generation companies (DISCOs and GENCOs) to increase electricity tariff. The TUC said the move was anti-people and lacked every sense of logicality.

    In a communiqué by the TUC President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, after a meeting with NERC officials, on Tuesday, Kaigama described as lame the argument in some quarters that an act of the National Assembly actually empowers the Commission to unilaterally increase tariff and that the act cannot be tampered with even by the federal parliament.

    “For us, any act, policy or idea that does not consider the poor masses is undemocratic and evil. It is evil because it further impoverishes the masses. Naturally, our thinking is that business is all about investment and profit and not the other way round. Every business has its gestation period before it starts generating profit. Unfortunately, NERC and the investors do not want to go through the pains,” Kaigama said.

    The TUC president argued that if the investors need contributions from people to invest, it automatically makes the people shareholders to the company. “For NERC, DISCOs and GENCO to give the consumers crazy bills in order to rake in enough money without making them partners is unacceptable and fraudulent,” he said.

    Kaigama said it is imperative that investors realise that government privatised the sector because it could no longer fund it, adding that the investors are expected to fund the sector without inflicting pains on the masses.

    “The Congress told the NERC officials that truly the challenges in the sector are enormous, which remains the reason why it was privatised. However, the officials were advised to re-strategise. Nigerians are good followers and shall be willing to pay their bills if the product is made available.

    We are not ready to pay for the electricity we do not consume,” he said.

  • Unemployment: BoI’s ‘YES’ project raises youth’s hope

    Unemployment: BoI’s ‘YES’ project raises youth’s hope

    As part of measures to tackle unemployment, the Bank of Industry (BoI) has unfolded a N10 billion Youth Entrepreneurship Support (YES) programme. It is expected to create 36,000 jobs yearly. TOBA AGBOOLA reports.

    Unemployment, arguably, is one of the most critical socio-economic problems  facing Nigeria. According to the latest report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 1,972,722 Nigerians have been unemployed since June last year. The Federal Government, however, appears determined to tackle the problem.

    Through the Bank of Industry (BOI), the government has launched the N10 billion Youth Entrepreneurship Support (YES) programme. The scheme is expected to produce at least 36,000 direct and indirect jobs annually, with each beneficiary getting between N5 million to N10 million loan at nine per cent interest rate with a tenure of five to 10 years.

    At the launch of the programme in Abuja, the Acting Managing Director of BOI, Mr. Waheed Olagunju, said the programme aimed at equipping youths to become self-employed by starting and managing their own businesses and eventually becoming employers of labour. While noting that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the bedrock of any economy, he said there is need to develop the capacity of the youths with a view to ultimately fund their business plans.

    Olagunju said while previous empowerment programmes for the youths concentrated more on training, the YES project will provide funds for the beneficiaries. According to him, it is a critical success factor in the establishment of small businesses. “The capacity building programmes also hardly take care of the entire training value chain. The YES scheme that is being launched today would therefore, provide an opportunity for BOI to address the worrisome phenomenon of lack of finance,” he said.

    Olagunju highlighted some of the bold steps taken by the Bank in recent times to address some of the developmental challenges facing the country. The most recent, he said, was the merit-based N2 billion financial inclusion scheme for youths known as the Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF). The GEF, launched by the Bank in October 2015 in partnership with the National Youth Corps Directorate, is the precursor to YES.

    “GEF is targeted at serving members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The programme is an innovative approach aimed at tackling the social malaise of graduate unemployment. The strategy was to identify the innate talents of the young graduates as soon as they leave school, build their capacities for self-reliance and also empower them to establish their own businesses;  thereby creating jobs not just for themselves, but for other youths that they may employ. Indirect jobs would also be created as a result of ventures promoted under GEF,” the BoI boss explained.

    Explaining further, he said the programme entailed an online business ideas competition in which 3,100 serving members of the NYSC made their submissions out of which 1,000  top scorers emerged. The successful candidates, he said, underwent entrepreneurship capacity building programmes in seven locations in the six geopolitical zones of the country, including the special centre in Lagos, to facilitate access to finance for their business plans.

    The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr, Okechukwu Enelema, said government will continue to grasp with the sharp decline in revenue from crude oil, which has been the main stay of the economy. He, however, said the nation should not be unmindful of the opportunity the situation presents.

    “It is very important we look inwards in this period and look at ways of exploiting the entrepreneurial spirit and the zeal of  our people. The intense energy of our large youthful population is a strength that we need to exploit by re-orientating them towards positive engagement in entrepreneurship. The nation’s unemployment rate has assumed a worrisome level in view of its implication for national development and competitiveness,” the minister said.

    Speaking with The Nation, one of the beneficiaries of the first phase of the scheme, Mr. Vincent Chinedu, said with the introduction of the portal, it will be easy for anybody to apply unlike before when it was difficult. He said it was not easy when he initially started because of the stringent collateral. He, however, said BOI has relaxed the condition, adding that this will encourage and help others to apply for the loan.

    Chinedu said he graduated as a Chemical Engineer in 2012/2013 and instead of looking for job, he applied for the loan with his NYSC certificate. With the presentation of two guarantors, he said he was given the loan. Today, he is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nedhills Industries. “We are into palm kernel oil production and I have five people working for me at the moment. I am planning to employ more people because we are expanding,” he said.

  • ASUP decries education’s vote

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has called on the Federal Government to address what it termed “defective posture” of the 2016 budget for being against the education sector in general and the polytechnic sub-sector in particular.

    In a communiqué at the end of the 83rd National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of ASUP held at Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia, the union decried the delay in passing the bill for the amendment of the Polytechnics Act and the non-implementation of the report of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) Assessment of polytechnics.

    ASUP President, Usman Dutse, in a statement, noted the recurrent delay in payment of staff salaries, especially in state-owned polytechnics and monotechnics.

    The union described as worrisome the delay in promotions and payment of benefits by the management of some polytechnics/mono-technics and the continued dichotomy between polytechnics and university graduates in the country.

    “NEC strongly called on the Federal Government to address the defects in the 2016 budget, especially as it affects the education sector in general and the polytechnic sector in particular, and revert the cut in personnel cost within three weeks of this communiqué in order to avert any industrial disharmony that may follow.

    “NEC passionately called on the National Assembly to, without delay, pass the bill for the amendment of the Polytechnic Act to reflect contemporary realities. NEC frowned at the perennial inhuman delay in the payment of staff salaries in the polytechnic sector and strongly urged the concerned government agencies to take immediate steps to pay all arrears of salary without further delay,” Dutse said.

    ASUP president said the union viewed with contempt the unwholesome meddling of some polytechnic management in the affairs of the union through victimisation of active members in the chapters. He urged the Council of Heads of Polytechnics and College of Technology (COHEADs) to call their members to order to forestall truncating the already fragile academic peace on campuses.

  • TUC calls for transparency in Rivers election

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC), Rivers State chapter has called for transparency in the re-run legislative elections coming up tomorrow.

    In a statement, TUC Chairman,  Rivers State chapter, Comrade  Hyginus Chika Onuegbu, urged eligible voters to come out and vote for candidates of their choice.

    Onuegbu said  the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of Directorate State Security and Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces should provide adequate security to ensure  free and fair re-run elections, adding that no voter, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) personnel or accredited election observer should be intimidated, hurt or killed.

    “By now, we expect that the security agencies working in collaboration with the INEC should have their election security strategy that cover all phases of the electoral process and aimed at protecting electoral integrity. It is important to state clearly that the greatest threat to the Rivers State re-run elections is insecurity, as many of our people are scared going by the level of insecurity in the state.

    “The INEC as the umpire must ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible. It is important that election materials arrive early to the polling stations, so that voting and accreditation can be completed on time in line with the guidelines for the elections,” he said.

    Onuegbu said the youth should shun  violence and embrace peace, adding that political parties and their candidates should work towards safe and peaceful re-run elections.

    “Once again, we appeal to all Rivers people, especially the youth to embrace peace and shun all acts of violence. Indeed, acts of violence of whatever kind should be frowned upon by all and strictly shunned and punished collectively as it diminishes our democratic culture and whittles down the remaining collective respect we have as a people and as a state,’’ he added.

  • Union opposes planned restructuring of staff schools

    Union opposes planned restructuring of staff schools

    The Senior Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, Lagos State University (SSANU-LASU) has urged the state government to halt the planned de-harmonisation of its staff in primary schools.

    The plan include severing the  primary schools from the university’s administration and giving it workers a different salary scale. This, the union warned, may plunge the university into a fresh crisis.

    SSANU said the planned exercise amounted to a breach of the 2009 agreement with the Federal Government.

    In an exclusive interview with The Nation, SSANU-LASU Chairman, Comrade Saheed Oseni,  described the plan as uncalled for, saying no state university has embarked on such action since the signing of the agreement about six years ago.

    ”We are using this opportunity to call on the state government not to truncate the peace that has gradually returned to LASU.  SSANU rejects this policy in its entirety because it will inflict more hardship on our members. This means our members will now be moved away to earn a new salary structure, which will no doubt be less.

    “Government should know that this is a university and not a civil service. Our members are paid on Consolidated University Non-Academic Salary Scale (CONUNASS) and we want that to remain,” Oseni said.

    He said the Union was suprised when the university management reached out to them a fortnight ago, drawing their attention to the memo from the state with the title: ‘De-harmonisation of Staff Salary School Teachers from University Salary Scale’

    He recalled that in December, three federal universities embarked on such action, adding that the national SSANU promptly rose against it, embarking on a strike, which was later ‘suspended’ last month on the directive of the National Administrative Committee of SSANU, which met with the Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment, which referred the matter to the National Industrial Court.

    ”So, what we are saying is: ‘Why can’t Lagos State Government wait for the outcome of the matter at the industrial court before rushing to pass the directive on our members? We are all awaiting the interpretation of that agreement, which will be binding on all parties,” Oseni said.

    He said there was no gainsaying the fact that staff school serves as demonstration school to the universities’ Faculty of Education, and most of those teachers there have no less than masters degrees, while some are doing their Ph.D.

    His words: “Government says they want to de-harmonise staff schools because they are on CONUNASS, but they forget that many of them have trained and graduated children some of whom have today earned their Ph.Ds or even become professors.

    “Now let’s assume a child graduated from staff school primary school and later came back to join the service of the university, rose through the ranks and became a professor, while those teachers, who made him what he is several years ago are still in the system and are now earning peanut,  won’t that bring inferiority complex on those teachers?”

  • How to solve oil sector crisis, by workers

    How to solve oil sector crisis, by workers

    How can the oil industry’s problems be solved? It is by the collective efforts of its stakeholders, say oil workers.

    According to the workers, under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the sector’s problems too many for an individual, group or government to solve.

    Its President,  Mr. Francis Johnson, told The Nation: “What we (oil workers) want is an all-inclusive stakeholders’ meeting so that Nigerians will hear the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); PENGASSAN; National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG); civil society; government and all other interest groups.”

    According to Johnson, no responsible union enjoys protests as they are the last resort where dialogue fails.

    “All what we want is for everyone to agree to work as one indivisible entity in the interest of Nigeria, so that the benefits from the oil and gas industry can come to all Nigerians,” he said.

    He identified some of the industry’s problems to include crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, backlog of joint venture cash calls, poor state of refineries, corruption in the importation of petroleum products, subsidy payment to marketers and abuse of Nigerian content policy.

    Others are the status of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), and interfering role of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the performance of their mandates.

    On the restructuring of the NNPC, the PENGASSAN chief said the concern of his members was not to oppose what would bring the greatest benefits to all Nigerians, but to ensure that due process was followed and all interest groups were carried along.

    The main grouse of the oil workers on the re-structuring of NNPC, according to him, was the government’s insistence on carrying out the exercise without their involvement, despite that they would be involved in the implementation of the decisions taken.

    He added that the government could not go ahead with the restructuring of NNPC without first laying a solid foundation by removing all issues capable of posing problems or frustrating the exercise.

    He cited the NNPC Act of 1977 that set up the corporation, arguing that as a legal entity established by the Act of the National Assembly, there was no way the government would think of unbundling it without first either repealing or amending the Act.

    Johnson said the unions were concerned about the way the government was going about the restructuring, which suggested that it did not know what it wanted to do.

    “Initially, the minister spoke about unbundling NNPC and when there was so much pressure from the National Assembly over the issue, the Minister of State turned around to say the government was not unbundling, but restructuring or reorganising NNPC.

    “There is no way the unions or anybody would be against any decision that Nigerians are convinced would yield benefits to the people, provided such decisions are open, honest transparent and with sincerity of purpose,” he said.

    The PENGASSAN chief said there must be consistency in policy formulation and implementation. He said there must be an informed consensus on all issues.

    “There must also be a buy-in by everyone. All interested parties must be on the same page. Everyone must understand the direction the industry is heading,” he added.

    He further said it was not too good for the country that the oil and gas industry, the economy’s mainstay, would show such inconsistency in the way policies are formulated and implemented.

    “We seem to be moving one step forward today and two steps backward tomorrow,” he said.

  • Fed Govt lauds labour’s support for continental initiative

    The Federal Government has praised organised labour for its role in the launch of the United Nations’ (UN) Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA) in Abuja last Friday.

    EBAFOSA was formed following  the Second Africa EBA for food security conference convened by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the African Union (AU) Commission and partners on last July 30 and 31, where 1200 delegates from Africa adopted the Nairobi Action Agenda and the Constitution, which gave birth to the first ever Africa Ecosystems Based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA).

    The international body will serve as the continental policy platform to foster and nurture partnerships through branch formation in each African country.

    Some African countries have since launched their programmes. In Nigeria, the theme for the launch is: ‘Re-shaping Nigeria food security and climate resilience through EBAFOSA”.

    During the committee’s meeting, a representative of the secretariat of the body in Nigeria, Mr. Abass Abdullai of the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, said labour unions could facilitate  logistics necessary to make the launch possible.

    The unions, which sponsor most of the items for the event, include the National Union of Food Beverage Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE); National Union of Hotels and Personal Service Workers (NUHPSW); Food Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) and Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI).

    The ministry said it had various opinions on what unions stand for, which was activism, adding that it has understood that unions play vital roles in national development.

    EBAFOSA’s National President , Mr. James Oyesola, said the body is the first pan-African policy framework that provides a platform for stakeholders in the country to collaborate in developing and implementing policy solutions to upscale EBA-driven agriculture, its value chains, industrialisation and job creation in a sustainable way.

    EBAFOSA’s implementation, he said, is categorised into three – introductory, growth and maturity.

    “The introductory phase is considered as the most-crucial as it aims to secure commitment of the vital stakeholders, who will be the foundation of EBAFOSA,” he said.

    Oyesola said EBAFOSA is a treaty and not an organisation, adding that it is a peer-to-peer review to reflect policies that would be acceptable globally.

    He said when launched, EBAFOSA would ensure all hands were on deck with synergies looking at the ministries and stakeholders.

    The president added that EBAFOSA would work with associations, such as All Farmers Association of Nigeria, women allied organisations, including weather agencies, to make food production sustainable.

    Those expected at the launch include international organisations, ministers of Agriculture, Environment, Budget and National Planning.