The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • SMEDAN presents new MSMEs’ national policy

    SMEDAN presents new MSMEs’ national policy

    • Seeks stakeholders’ support

    The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Association of Nigeria (SMEDAN) is seeking the support of private sector operators on the implementation of the National Policy on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

    Speaking at the presentation of the policy  in Kaduna, at the weekend, the Director-General/CEO, SMEDAN, Alhaji Bature Masari, said to ensure a seamless implementation of the policy, a detailed and robust framework has been developed, which enunciates the various responsibilities of relevant stakeholders on the implementation value chain.

    “With this first review of the policy, I sincerely believe that the MSMEs sub-sector in Nigeria has been given a further impetus to drive the national economy towards job creation, wealth creation and poverty alleviation. In this regard, I will request for the support and cooperation of all stakeholders towards the achievement of the MSMEs sub-sector of our dream in Nigeria through the implementation of the policy,” Masari said.

    He said the policy, which will be in place between this year and  2025 will be reviewed every four years. He sai it will facilitate and sustain a vibrant MSMEs sub-sector that will be the major driver of national economic growth and development including job creation.

    He added that this will be accomplished by accelerating the profitable expansion of existing MSMEs along the value chain, ensuring transition from micro to small enterprises, small to medium enterprises and medium to large enterprises, thereby enabling them to increase their contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment generation.

    Masari added that the policy outlines key objectives, strategies and programmes for driving the development of MSMEs. It also specifies several programmatic areas such as finance, institutional, legal and regulatory framework, skills development, technology, research and development, extension and support services, marketing and infrastructure and cost of doing businesses.

  • Our expectations from Labour Minister, by NLC, TUC

    Our expectations from Labour Minister, by NLC, TUC

    Labour – the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) – has outlined workers’ expectations from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.

    NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba said the appointment of  Ngige and the Minister of State, James Ocholi, came at a time Nigeria is weighed down by challenges. He said the ministers have the task of ensuring industrial peace and harmony.

    He said the ministry was unique in that it handles industrial relations matters, adding that the ministers must address casualisation.

    He said the ministers must tackle the “prevalent cases of casualisation and outsourcing of workers, which a number of employers have resorted to as a way of cutting costs and maximising profits that cut across both public and private sectors.”

    Wabba said there was the need for the ministers to sufficiently equip the ministry’s Factory Inspectorate Division to function optimally.

    “The Ministry is a specialised one because it deals with issues of industrial relations, labour treaties and convention and it’s a tripartite platform. Therefore, the ministers need to understand the workings of the ministry,” he said.

    “People think the ministry of labour exists just to manage strikes, but it goes beyond that. It is about managing people. The greatest asset that we have is the human resources, therefore, it is the most viable asset outside capital. In fact, labour is more important than capital because you can’t have the capital if you don’t have the mix of expertise and human resources,” he said.

    Wabba also said the ministers must address unemployment,  arguing that casualisation and outsourcing of workers are burning issues, which must not be left unresolved by the administration. He said employers resorted to casualisation and outsourcing because they don’t want to pay terminal benefits and decent wages to their workers.

    On the challenges before the new ministers, TUC Secretary-General Comrade Mohammed Lawal said the appointment of the ministers was a welcome development. He said Ngige, who was once a governor and civil servant, would bring his experience to bear on the labour sector, especially now that the sector is engulfed in minimum wage crisis.

    He said the ministers would have to stabilise the relationship between labour and the Federal Government. Another challenge before Ngige, he said, is how to resolve the crisis arising from the planned reversal of the minimum wage by some state governments.

    According to him, the new minister will also need to use the labour sector to promote the change mantra being championed by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    He said TUC was ready to partner with the new ministers to resolve labour issues and promote economic growth.

    However, the Deputy President, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Comrade Ntukubes Mbang, said Ngige was a square peg in a round hole. He argued that as a medical doctor, he lacked the finesse and skills to resolve or manage industrial crisis.

    He, however, said the new minister would be challenged on how to tackle the hydra-headed problem of casualisation and outsourcing in the  sector.

  • Union urges Buhari on agric workers’ plight

    Union urges Buhari on agric workers’ plight

    Nigeria’s dream of repositioning her economy through agriculture may suffer a setback if the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration fails to address issues on workers’  welfare.

    One of such issues is the agitation for the implementation of the hazard allowance for workers in the agricultural and allied sector. The agitation has been on for over 15 years.

    Speaking with reporters at the weekend, the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurants, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Association (IUF), urged Buhari to, as a matter of priority, approve for implementation, the allowance for which a memorandum was forwarded to the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) in April, before the inauguration of this administration.

    Its Chairman, Leke Success, said the international body decided to intervene to make the Federal Government appreciate the importance of hazard allowance. He noted that the allowance is necessary because workers continue to suffer one form of injury, or the other in the course of doing their jobs.

    He said: “Our demand is against the backdrop of the determination of President Buhari to diversify our economy and make agriculture the pillar for national growth and development. We believe that for this to be realised, genuine efforts must be made to resolve all issues capable of hindering the smooth operation and administration of all the necessary policies being designed for the revival of  agric activities in the country.”

    Mr. Success lamented that all these years, agric workers had taken the line of dialogue instead of outright confrontation to demand for the implementation of the welfare package, whereas their counterparts in the livestock and veterinary sub-sector, categorised as health workers, have long been enjoying the benefit.

    He said the demand for the implementation of the allowance for workers, under the Agriculture and Allied Employees’ Union of Nigeria (AAEUN), is not on the basis of a penchant for allowances, but rather on a realistic appreciation of occupational dangers encounter on a day-to-day basis in the line of their duties.

    The IUF chief, submitted that both international and local research have validated that out of a total of 335,000 fatal workplace accidents that occur yearly globally, about 170,000, involve workers engaged in agricultural activities.

    He said even the advent of technology aimed at reducing stress and hardship associated with agriculture, has come with its risks which are related, not only to the operation of sophisticated machinery such as tractors and harvesters, but also exposure, resulting from intensive use of pesticides and a variety of agro-chemicals. According to him, these often account for  the high rate of illness, injury and even death of workers in the sector.

  • ‘PPP, panacea to unemployment’

    The three tiers of government have been urged to tackle unemployment through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

    The Managing Director of MeritChoice Limited, Mr. Gbeminiyi Oluwabusola, gave the advice at an empowerment summit in Lagos, held at the weekend. He lamented the poor state of infrastructure and the absence of incentives to boost entrepreneurship.

    Specifically, the MeritChoice boss lamented the poor power supply and state of the roads and land acquisition challenges, stressing that these deserved urgent attention.

    According to Oluwabusola, whose company is into Internet services, agriculture, cooperative association and import/export businesses, “Even for us that are empowering people to become entrepreneurs, business is scary. You need to know what it costs to run an Internet radio where a lot of money is spent on fuel because there is no regular electricity supply.”

    He said apart from power, which is key, the roads are so bad even in the cities, not to talk of the remote areas. “Presently, we are buying hectares of lands in millions for plantations of various crops under our agriculture project, but it is hard to get technical or even financial support from government. Though, government claims that there are loans for young entrepreneurs, but it is not readily available. It is not easy for people to access the loans,” he lamented.

    Oluwabusola added that there is no adequate education or awareness about what government is doing to encourage entrepreneurship, except for little laudable support from organisations such as the World Bank sponsored FADAMA project, which assists farmers to commence some level of rice production and its value chain.

    “Certainly, if we are able to enjoy required support from the government, that would enable us to empower more people and take many more people out of poverty and unemployment,” he said.

  • NLC: Long road to peace

    NLC: Long road to peace

    The internal crisis rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) may soon end. A seven-man reconciliatory committee is on the verge of striking a peace deal between NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba and his arch opponent Comrade Joe Ajaero. CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

    The nine-month old leadership crisis rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will soon be over. The warring factions of Ayuba Wabba and Joe Ajaero have agreed to sheathe their swords and embrace peace in the interest of workers.

    Since February, the NLC has been embroiled in a crisis after its botched election that was to hold during its 11th Delegates’ Conference at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. The election was marred by allegations of corruption in the NLC Kriston-Lally Housing project and multiple balloting during voting. Since then, the Congress has been in the eye of the storm, with two persons laying claim to its leadership.

    However, baring last minute changes, the two factions may sign a peace agreement this week, to end the feud. Indications to this emerged after a joint meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the factions involving mainly presidents and general secretaries of their affiliates on Friday, November 20,  at the Labour House, Abuja.

    The meeting, it was learnt, was a fall-out of the November 12 meeting hosted by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and other veterans, including pioneer NLC President Comrade Hassan Sunmonu. The Nation exclusively gathered that, at the meeting, a seven-man Reconciliatory Committee set up by the veterans was given the nod to prepare a peace document that will be signed by the warring parties.

    Before the meeting, NLC veterans led by Comrade Oshiomhole are said to have mounted intense pressure on leaders of both factions to tow the line of peace.  A source close to the NLC told The Nation that before the meeting, the veterans had made up their minds on the issue of unity of the labour movement other than looking at the causes of the crisis and had communicated same to leaders of both factions.The veterans are said to have impressed it on leaders of the factions that they suffered to build the movement and they can’t see it being destroyed.

    According to the source, the Reconciliatory Committee may this week present a peace agreement to the joint meeting of the factional leaders to sign. The concern within labour circles, however, is that while the agreement would restore peace and unity, the Congress is likely going to have unity without justice since the initiators of the peace deal are not interested in investigating the causes of the crisis.

    “We see these veterans looking for peace at all cost, but as we speak now none of them has sighted the ballot papers to know whether they are real or wrong. No investigation to ascertain the allegations of rigging and other manipulations. The veterans are just saying let us come together.

    “If for the first time in our history, the issue of corruption is clear even before the election and the issue of rigging during the election; all these have been identified and everybody acknowledges them and you fail to address it, that will be very dangerous for the movement if people who committed impunity through rigging and other manipulations to achieve power are allowed to go scot free,” the source said.

    Besides, he said the main problem is how to address the issues of the state councils. His words: “The problem is that each factions conducted valid election in the state and produced officers. They passed through every constitutional requirement to conduct their elections. There was no issue of disagreement or protest. How the state councils are addressed will go a long way in addressing the unity issue.”

    While emphasising that there is need to address all the issues that led to the crisis, he said: “When you have unity without justice you are just postponing the evil day. It is because of the love some of us have for the veterans. It is not as if the constitution provided any role for them before now. Suddenly we started listening to them and they are telling us we don’t want NLC to break.”

  • Labour urges Buhari not to sack DGs, directors

    Labour urges Buhari not to sack DGs, directors

    The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to sack the Directors-General, Assistant Directors, and Deputy Directors in federal parastatals because of the merger of some ministries.

    ASCSN Secretary-General Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal said in Lagos on Monday  that the plea was sequel to speculations in the media that many Assistant Directors, Deputy Directors, and Directors in federal ministries would be relieved of their duties the same way Permanent Secretaries were sacked by the government.

    He emphasised that the directorate cadre in the ministries are made up of career officers whose appointments are guided by the Public Service Rules (PSR) and the Federal Civil Service Commission’s guidelines on appointment, promotion, and discipline as well as the scheme of service. He noted that they are not political appointees like Permanent Secretaries that can be removed at will.

    In a related event, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Rivers State chapter, has raised concerns about the economy, saying it is in a very bad shape and that the country is obviously not prepared for any sustained fall in crude oil price as global analysts forecast.

    It noted that global analysts like Goldman Sachs have forecast that oil price will remain at $50 per barrel till 2020.

    According to the congress, its main worry is that Nigeria is not prepared for any sustained fall in crude oil price going by economic indicators.

    “For instance, Nigeria has just only $2 billion in excess crude account, which reports say may soon be shared; less than $30 billion in external reserves; owes over $60 billion, even as many states in the country continue to seek for loans and bailout funds to pay workers’ salary,” TUC said

    It, therefore, expressed serious doubt that President Buhari will deliver on his campaign promises to Nigerians if the price of crude oil, which accounts for some 90 per cent of Nigeria’s total export revenue and 75 per cent of total consolidated revenue continues to hover around $50 per barrel between now and 2019 as forecast by global experts such as Goldman Sachs.

    In a presentation at a workshop by the chapter’s Chairman, Comrade Hyginus Chika Onuegbu, entitled: “The Historical Overview of the Impact of Global Oil Politics on Crude Oil Prices, Investments and Employment Relations in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry”, he said the fall in crude oil prices has already begun to take its toll on the oil and gas industry, cutting deep into revenue projections with big losses at the end of the third quarter of this year. It also led to significant contraction in exploration and production activities globally, as companies embarked on massive cost-cutting measures to weather the storm.

    According to him, the fall has begun to negatively impact on Nigeria’s oil and gas industry and, indeed, the economy, adding that there are fears that some 120,000 direct and indirect jobs may have been lost in the sector.

    “At present, many state governments are unable to pay the salaries of their workers as the federal allocation has dwindled seriously. Already, many of the state governments including states in the oil rich Niger Delta are resorting to borrowings and the federal government bailout funds to pay workers’ salaries,” Comrade Onuegbu said.

    As he noted, the fact remains that in the coming months, the country would rise above politics by making the needed bitter reforms if it must remain afloat. According to him, economic watchers foresee a situation where many state governments will in 2016 and 2017 or thereabout begin massive cut in public expenditure. This may even include discussions over lay-off of public sector employees if the government does not take urgent steps to mitigate the effects of the current economic crises occasioned by the fall in global crude oil price and oil theft continues unabated.

    Comrade Onuegbu noted that the situation in Nigeria is made worse by the fact that there are existing serious challenges in the industry, which are yet to be addressed by the government and other stakeholders.

     

     

     

  • NECA, firm strike deal on reality TV show

    NECA, firm strike deal on reality TV show

    The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kofsol Group, a branding, marketing and design agency, to collaborate on “Angels Cove,” a business reality television show scheduled to make its debut in Nigeria by the first quarter of 2016.

    Addressing newsmen last weekend, at NECA House, the Managing Director of Kofsol Group, Mrs Kofo Olaosebikan, said Angels Cove was an informed by the company’s passionate commitment to adding value to stakeholders in accordance with its philosophy.

    “Angels Cove has been designed as a platform for bringing together established business achievers as Angels and emerging entrepreneurs, who have financial as well as other needs in their businesses,” said Mrs Olaosebikan.

    The Director, Social, Economic and Labour Relations of NECA, Mr. Timothy Olawale, described the collaboration as an expression of NECA’s commitment to its social responsibility by creating stakeholder value through a platform for private sector employers to interact with the government, labour, communities and other relevant institutions in and outside Nigeria.

    NECA has also expressed its dismay over recent onslaught by some regulatory agencies of government against organised businesses, saying it is not only capable of crippling existing investments, but could also serve as disincentive to government’s drive for foreign investments.

    In a release in Lagos, the Director-General of NECA, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo noted that some of the recent disturbing trends include the slamming of an ‘Administrative Charge’ of N1 billion on Guinness Nigeria Plc by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for alleged violation of NAFDAC rules, regulations and enactments over a long period of time, among others.

    “While NECA appreciates the essence of the roles of regulators and would also not support unfair practices by business operators, we are, however averse to high-handedness by way of sanctions that could snuff life out of businesses.

  • Engage indigenous engineers’

    Engage indigenous engineers’

    The Chairman, Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Bola Olowe, has called on all levels of governments to engage indigenous engineers in their projects, saying local professionals were as good as their foreign counterparts.

    At the 21st Lawrence Arokodare Memorial lecture, with the theme “Commitment of Engineering into the Hands of Stakeholders: A Catalyst for National Development and Improved Living Standards,” Olowe condemned previous administrations guilty of engaging foreign firms at the expense of indigenous professionals.

    He said engaging local engineers and professionals would ensure a smooth take-off of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improve the standard of living in the country.

    Urging governments and others to patronise local engineers so the nation can leapfrog into the league of developed nations, Olowe said this was imperative to reduce capital flight.

    He noted that governments must ensure indigenous engineers are patronised and given the right of place and opportunities to handle projects.

    “It is time we brought to the front burner the need for governments to take deliberate decisions to ensure indigenous engineers are patronised and given the right of place and opportunities to handle engineering development projects in Nigeria.”

  • SMEDAN, Cross River partner on job creation

    SMEDAN, Cross River partner on job creation

    Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN),Alhaji Bature Umar Masari, has said the agency will partner the Cross River State government to create jobs.

    He lamented that previous governments neglected  SMEs.

    Masari, who spoke when a delegation of the government of Cross River State, led by the Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Inter-Governmental Affairs, Mr. Chris Njah Mbu-Ogar, visited him in Abuja.

    In a statement,  Head, Public Communications Unit of the agency, Ibrahim Mohammed, said Ogar was at SMEDAN to discuss positive avenues of collaboration between the agency and the state government, particularly on the development and promotion of MSMEs in the state.

    According to him, this is because the state has been losing out on SMEDAN programmes.

    Masari said the agency had written to the governor on the partnership, stressing that it would go a long way in arresting unemployment and poverty.

    “I am glad that the governor is proactive to the people, he is leading because he has the desire to collaborate and implement his programme in manpower development. He is a wiling and committed partner,” he said.

    Masari explained that SMEDAN has partnership with so many states even before the last general elections and parades programmes such as the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) and the One Local Government One Product (OLOP) that focuses on products in each local governments of the country.

    He cited Oyo State as an example where the organisation has been going round the local governments, partnering and establishing small enterprises.

    “States should borrow a leaf from Oyo State to improve on the enterprises of the people. We also want the Cross Rivers State government to develop the Industrial Development Centre (IDC) in Ogoja as this would go a long way in developing MSMEs in the state,” he stated.

  • NECA urges consistency in auto policy

    NECA urges consistency in auto policy

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has expressed concern over calls by some individuals on President Muhammadu Buhari to jettison the National Automotive Policy.

    Its Director-General, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo, said one of the greatest challenges the country has faced, which had stifled its sustainable development is policy inconsistency and lack of continuity.

    He said the time had come for the the government to put economic interest ahead of political considerations.

    “Government should imbibe the culture of adopting well-intentioned policies of past governments. The Automotive Policy is one of such that needs to be sustained,” he said.

    Oshinowo urged Buhari not to pander to the whims and caprices of those calling for policy reversals, adding that it would not be in the interest of the economy.

    He said: “Government should sustain and deepen the policy through its faithful implementation, without any waiver or threat of possible reversal, except for the recognition of certain categories of non-luxury heavy duty vehicles that cannot and will not be assembled in Nigeria.

    “President Buhari will do well by ignoring the clamour to lower import tariff on automobile products, as this will negatively impact on the policy. It will end up promoting importation, which is not in tandem with the contents and spirit of the automotive policy, to promote assembling in the country.”

    Oshinowo reiterated the need for the National Automotive Industry Development Plan to be backed by an Act of the National Assembly to ensure commitment and prevent reversal, thereby promoting backward integration and diversification.

    The National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) was hailed as a welcome development when it was initiated. It was designed to stimulate growth in the automotive industry and the economy. It was also designed to be of immense strategic importance to the economy, being a critical employment multiplier.