The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Labour kicks against lift of ban on textile materials

    Labour kicks against lift of ban on textile materials

    • Warns of impending job losses

    Textile workers have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the recent lifting of ban on textile materials.

    Acting under the aegis of National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), they said the decision to lift the ban on textile materials would lead to massive job loss.

    The General Secretary of the union and Deputy President of the Joe Ajaero-led faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Issa Aremu, who spoke with reporters in Lagos, said the decision to remove the ban on textile materials remained illegal because it did not follow due process.

    Aremu regretted that the decision to lift the ban remained counterproductive to government’s efforts in promoting the growth of local industry, saying the latest decision would sound a death knell for the textile sector.

    Aremu stated that the decision to relax the ban on the importation of textiles into the country was not in the interest of the masses, adding that the first test of Buhari’s ‘Change Initiative’, would be to reverse the decision.

    “Lifting the ban is illegal as it did not follow due process. Before the ban came into force, there were lots of discussions with all the stakeholders. Recall that the ban was put in place so that African prints can have comparative advantage because we have the capacity to produce locally as well as huge market,” he said.

    He lamented that the textile sector, which had been the leading employer of labour is now operating in the shadow of its old self with over 20 companies shut down.

    The Labour leader said former President Olusegun Obasanjo, after deliberations with the stakeholders, decided to put the ban in place, adding that the policy was equally retained by late President Musa Yar’adua and to some level, Goodluck Jonathan.

    “The same process it took to put the ban in place is the same process we expect the government to take into consideration to lift the ban. It cannot be done casually. All the stakeholders must be called for deliberation”, he stated.

    Aremu said the Federal Government should give the sector the kind of support given to local cement manufacturers, which has made them to thrive through the total ban on importation of cement.

    “We are not afraid of competition, if it’s done in good faith. If importers of textile materials pay the right duties and come in with quality products, our local industry can compete favourably with them. But a situation where they come in with inferior products through the back doors and saturate the market, thereby making it impossible for the local industry to break even is not good for our economy,” he argued.

    While calling for better funding of the Customs in order to combat smugglers, whom he said now have more sophisticated weapons, the textile union scribe said seized goods should be burnt as they often find their way back to the local markets.

    He also charged the state governments to look inward to grow their economies through agriculture and industrialisation as it was the case in the 60s and 70s, rather than going cap in hands begging for bail-out from the Federal Government.

  • Manufacturers spend N3.5tr yearly on generators, says NLC

    Manufacturers spent an estimated N3.5 trillion annually to run power generators for production due to the collapse of public electricity, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Waba, has said.

    Speaking at a business luncheon for managing directors/chief executive officers organised by the Ikeja branch of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in Lagos, he said the energy sector is critical to the manufacturing sector of the economy.

    “Any government that is serious about reviving the economy must make the revival of the power sector a priority. The challenges faced in terms of decayed infrastructure, bad road and epileptic power supply are necessary factors in production and their deficits have made manufacturing difficult, leading to the closure of not a few industries while a lot more had to relocate to other countries.

    “It is auspicious that both manufacturers and labour build a strong alliance to step up campaigns for the revival of our economy, which can only be done through the reactivation of all infrastructures needed for real production,” he said, adding that apart from infrastructure decay, manufacturers are confronted with other challenges, particularly indebtedness.

    Ayuba said: “While you have to borrow to produce, majority of your corporate consumers, particularly government are hugely indebted to some of you. Another challenge we know you face is the importation of products, which you also produce locally. These imported products take advantage of your deprivations in the area of infrastructures to bring in goods, most of which are substandard and sell them cheaper than yours.”

    He said there can’t be fair competition when cost of production, standards and other environmental factors are not the same. “We therefore, urge government to impose total ban on the importation of all goods produced by our local manufacturers. We believe our country, with over 160 million population can be a major manufacturing hub in Africa if our government encourage our local manufacturers,” he said.

    The NLC President added that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is not helping matters on the issue of importation of banned and fake products, adding that NCS should be patriotic in their duties by protecting the people, economy and the national interests at all times.

    “Our borders are too porous, and they need to urgently defend their profession by ensuring banned and adulterated goods don’t cross into our country,” he said.

  • ASSBIFI to govt: protect workers’ right

    ASSBIFI to govt: protect workers’ right

    The Association of Senior Staff of Bank and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has called on the Federal Government to protect the rights of workers.

    The association lamented that despite the existence of international labour standards relating to recruitment, national laws in the country, their enforcement often fall short of protecting workers’ rights.

    Its Deputy President, Comrade Olasanoye Oyinkan, who spoke  with reporters, lamented that public and private employment agencies in the country have been involved in one or more deception about the nature and conditions of work for workers

    She said: “We call on government at all levels, the federal, states and local governments to protect the rights of workers as they are the creation of wealth for the nation. Our call is necessary because when the public and private employment agencies are appropriately regulated, they would play an important role in the efficient and equitable functioning of labour markets by matching available jobs with suitably qualified workers.”

    According to Oyekan, in today’s globalised economy, workers are increasingly looking for job opportunities beyond their home country.

    On the recent picketing of Alpha Beta Limited over the sack of 300 workers, the labour leader deplored the action of the company in the face of economic hardship in the country.

    She, however, explained that before the company sacked the workers, they reported to the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, but before the meeting, Alpha-Beta had gone ahead to sack 300 workers.

  • Jobs, terrorism top Nigerian delegates’ discussion at ILO talks

    Jobs, terrorism top Nigerian delegates’ discussion at ILO talks

    Worsening terrorism in Northeastern part of  Nigeria,  youth unemployment were among issues that topped the Federal Government’s agenda to the 104th International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Clement Iloh, who led the delegation, said these emerging challenges and solutions called for more introspection among member states, especially the dynamic roles culture, religion, politics and ethnicity, among others, plays in fostering development.

    Iloh reminded the conference of the adverse effect of terrorism with implications for discrimination, stigmatisation, abduction, kidnapping, and rape at work, among others. He said: “There was need for international collaboration to fashion out a framework that would address these hydra headed problems amongst member states in the world.”

    President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Waba, who spoke on the occasion urged world leaders to embrace the spirit of unity in the current struggle by the tripartite body that make up the ILO, the government, employers and workers to fight anti-workers’ activities in developing countries.

    He said: “We call on world leaders to unite in the spirit of unity to confront anti-workers’ activities. We are concerned with the increasing challenges which the emerging forms of employment relationships such as contract staffing, casualisation, part time work and employees without borders pose to developing countries in confronting the basic issues of fundamental principles and rights at work.”

    Comrade Waba added that the issue of dealing with the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in some crises affected countries such as the Northeast of Nigeria is a current challenge that needed to be urgently addressed within the centenary framework.

    Also, President of Trade Union Congress, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, said the country is in need of international aid to confront insurgency ravaging some parts of the country. He said: “We need international support to confront and to address the hydra headed problems associated with terrorism, insurgency and other forms of political upheavals with implications for discrimination, stigmatisation, abduction, kidnapping and rape at work.”

    On child labour, the National Women Commission Chairperson of TUC, Comrade Oyinkansola Olasanoye said: “Our new investigative report in Nigeria shows the need for a coherent policy approach that tackles child labour and the lack of decent jobs for youths.

    “Keeping children in school and receiving good education until at least the minimum age of employment will determine the whole life of a child. It is the only way for a child to acquire the basic knowledge and skills needed for further learning, and for her or his future working life.”

  • Appoint competent ministers, ASCSN urges

    Appoint competent ministers, ASCSN urges

    The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint competent persons as ministers to enable him fulfil his campaign promises to the electorate.

    In a statement in Lagos, the ASCSN National President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama said the advice became necessary because some names being touted in mainstream and social media as possible candidates for ministerial portfolios in the Buhari administration are persons of questionable character that have been recycled over and over again by previous governments.

    “Nigeria has abundant pool of human resource in all fields of endeavours and as such there is no need to continue to appoint persons with antecedents that will offend the sensibility of Nigerians into strategic positions any longer.

    “If Mr. President proceeds to appoint certain individuals who spearheaded anti-people policies while serving the previous governments into his cabinet, his pledge to change the pattern of governance including the culture of impunity in the country will be dead on arrival,” he said.

    According to Kaigama, if for any reason Mr. President wishes to appoint persons that have served the governments in the past into his cabinet, they must be individuals with impeccable character, proven integrity, and track record of selfless service to the country.

    It added that if Buhari opts to appoint deadwoods, including those that tried to sell the 104 Federal Unity Colleges to their mentors and to themselves as ministers or into any important positions in his government, there would be instant public outcry and resistance that would not augur well for his administration.

    “At this critical stage of the country’s development, it will be a tragedy if Mr. President recycles failed experts and expired activists either as ministers, advisers or assistants to serve in his government,” Kaigama said.

    He equally urged the trade union movement, civil society groups, and other individuals in the country to prepare and resist such appointments if made in the interest of democracy and good governance.

  • NLC kicks against Buhari’s ascent to 46 bills

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its disappointment over the action of the National Assembly to pass 46 bills within 10 minutes, urging President Muhammadu Buhari not to sign them into law. NLC described it as a display of gross disdain for the procedure of lawmaking in a democratic setting.

    Its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said: “In the light of the cavalier manner in which these bills were passed, the Congress wishes to, with all sense of responsibility, call on Mr. President not to sign them into law. President Buhari should instead return them to the new National Assembly to be subjected to proper legislative procedures.”

    According to Wabba,  the Senate, apparently competing for the Guinness Book of  Records for legislative infamy, passed 46 bills “without legislation” in 10 minutes, while the House of Representatives took turn the next day to pass 14 bills transmitted to it by the Senate, without following the regular legislative procedures.

    “Whoever advised our lawmakers to take this reckless path to lawmaking has only succeeded in putting an indelible dent on whatever achievements the 7th session of the National Assembly wished to be ascribed to it.

    “By this singular action, our distinguished and honourable lawmakers have not only displayed gross disdain for the philosophy of law making in a democratic setting, they have exposed their lack of interest in and commitment to the wellbeing of the country. They have, by so doing, apart from ridiculing themselves, also unfortunately embarrassed the country in the eyes of the civilised global community,” Wabba said.

    He said by skipping the first, second and third reading process, as well as the public hearing on these bills, the lawmakers have denied Nigerians the basic opportunity to interrogate the desirability or otherwise of these bills.

    “We wish to use this opportunity to congratulate members of the new National Assembly. The Congress wishes to extend its hand of partnership to the legislators in both chambers of the National Assembly in the interest of good governance in the country.

    “In line with the current popular mood of the country for change, the NLC expects the incoming legislature to depart from the opaque ways of the previous sessions of the National Assembly. Congress, and indeed Nigerians, expects the incoming legislators to be prudent, accountable, transparent and more effective in their legislative and oversight functions,” he said.

  • ‘PIB threatens $80b investment’

    ‘PIB threatens $80b investment’

    The Chairman, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) Producers’ Forum, Emmanuel Onourah has warned that the proposed fiscal terms under the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would threaten $80 billion investment in the oil sector between now and 2020.

    The proposed fiscal terms was based on $100 per barrel model.

    He said the development would bring about $44 billion reduction in accruable revenue to the Federal Government in the sector under the period.

    Onourah, who spoke in Lagos, said the fiscal terms would affect the sector because no deepwater Production Sharing Contract (PSC) production will be viable and production of gas under the Joint Venture (JV) with the government would reduce by 90 per cent.

    He said production of oil under the JV with government would reduce by 30 per cent while there would be an overall decline of 25 per cent production due to the proposed fiscal regime.

    According to him, it is therefore better imagined what the impact of the terms will be in a depressed market economy of $50 to $60 per barrel as the country is presently experiencing.

    “Although the government is disputing the results of this modeling as a major stakeholder in the industry, we will align with the recommendation of our parent body, PENGASSAN and demand that the new government should employ the service of an independent third party consultant to run the models and come up with a non-biased assessment,’’ he said.

    He expressed disappointment over the non-passage of the PIB by the 7th National Assembly and urged the new government to re-present the bill to the current Assembly for accelerated passage and assent by the president.

    He further suggested that the bill should be broken into manageable segments to allow the needed reforms to commence while the more controversial issues like host community fund, frontier exploration and fiscal terms can be further debated to some points before being passed.

    “We also advocated that the gas policy for PSC and appropriate domestic gas should be addressed because it affects gas supply to Independent Power Projects (IPPs), which impacts negatively on electricity,’’ he said.

    Onourah also implored President Muhammadu Buhari to unveil his plans for the nation’s oil and gas industry within the first 100 days of his administration.

  • 9,000 migrants seek employment yearly in Italy , says IOM

    Apparently in search of greener pastures, no fewer than 9,000 migrants from Nigeria arrived Italy through the Mediterranean Sea last year, an official of the United Nations International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said.

    A research officer with the organisation, Tara Brian said at a conference on National Migration Policy Thematic Areas, organised by IOM that Nigeria was the fourth top country of origin for people arriving in Italy in last year.

    She said, already, between January and April this year, no fewer than 3,000 Nigerians arrived Italy for jobs.

    In his presentation, a migration expert, Prof Adepoju Aderanti, said Nigerians abroad constitute the population of about seven African countries, adding that it is not surprising considering the country’s population.

    Aderanti however said Nigerians in Diaspora could be potential development tools for the country. He said the remittances of Nigerians abroad is about $25 billion yearly, adding that it overtook direct foreign investment and was second to oil revenue.

    “An average African who migrates ultimately wishes to return home but returning home depends on the situation at home. Some Africans in Diaspora want to come back home but the circumstances at home in many countries are not encouraging,” he said.

    Aderanti called on the Federal Government to make migration a win-win-win situation for the migrants, the origin and destination countries through policies to attract remittance flows such as tax holidays.

    He also called for policies to woo Diaspora engagements like establishing a Diaspora Commission and reviewing bilateral migration agreements with destination countries in favour of Nigeria.

    Aderanti commended Nigeria for being the first country in Africa to adopt a National Policy on Migration.

    A representative of the UN Resident Coordinator, Jean Gough, commended the Federal Government for adopting the National Policy on Migration.

    Gough said Nigeria was a major country of origin, transit and destination within West African sub-region and globally.

    She said having a legal framework for the governance of migration was an important step and a major achievement in managing the multi-faceted challenges of migration and taking hold of the opportunities.

  • PENGASSAN urges Buhari to support oil workers training

    PENGASSAN urges Buhari to support oil workers training

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to support the workers in the oil and gas industry for training, research and development in all aspects of petroleum operations and technology to enhance the acquisition of skills and foster competitiveness.

    The oil workers’ union has also called for effective utilisation of the seismic data and other discoveries made under the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) research partnerships as well as the exploration of values created by the PTDF trained scholars to augment the industry’s skills/expertise gap.

    PENGASSAN’s President, Comrade Francis Johnson made the call in Lagos while briefing reporters.

    He said: “We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to aggressively support the workers in the oil and gas industry to deepen training, research and development in all aspects of petroleum operations and technology to enhance the acquisition of skillset/expertise and foster competitiveness because the key driver of any industrial and economic growth is Research and Development.

    “The need to continuously train oil workers and improve on research and development is one of the most important factors that will cause the effective drive which will make the oil sector accomplish optimal performance”.

    According him, the PTDF has also done extensive research which led to the development and patenting of Zeolite, a catalyst for the improved refining of heavy crudes, which is produced from local clay.

    “In view of the position of President Buhari on the need to resume exploration activities in the Chad Basin, we are aware that the PTDF has done extensive research on the chad basin from 2003 to date through one of its upgrade facilities at the University of Maiduguri on the “effect of volcanic and intrusive generation and accumulation of hydrocarbons in Nigeria’s flange of the Chad Basin,” he said.

  • NLC seeks ILO’s help over Boko Haram, others

    NLC seeks ILO’s help over Boko Haram, others

    Factional leader of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade  Ayuba Wabba, has said the issues of endemic poverty, unemployment, and low wage regimes combined with the Boko Haram insurgency have worsened the condition the Nigerian child.

    Speaking at the ongoing International Labour Organisation (ILO), Conference in Geneva,  Wabba said the situation is so manifestly grave, and demands immediate global attention.

    Wabba argued that these circumstances were man-made and were therefore curable.

    He requested ILO to avail the government of President Muhammadu Buhari the necessary technical and institutional support to revive the culture of social dialogue in the country, pledging that the NLC is deeply committed to genuine participation in the revival of social dialogue.

    One of the ways of ameliorating this situation, according to Wabba, is the institutionalisation of a robust social dialogue mechanism reminiscent of the presidency of the late Umoru Yar’Adua, which he said substantially benefitted the industrial relations practice in  the country during the late president’s tenure.

    He said NLC is ready to discuss the core issues of labour interest including job creation, migration management, social protection floors implementation and the broader issues around the structural transformation of the Nigerian economy.

    Wabba welcomed the announcement by the ILO Director General that a Global Commission would be put in place to look at the issues within the world of work as well as serve as a debate document during the centenary of ILO.

    Wabba maintained that for Africa, industrialisation is key to development and both the state and the public service have an immense role to play.