The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Civil servants to Jonathan: pay us salaries, allowances

    Civil servants to Jonathan: pay us salaries, allowances

    The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that all outstanding salaries and allowances owed public servants are settled before his exit on May 29.

    Its Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, faulted the claim of the Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that the Federal Government does not owe its workers.

    He pointed out that there were still outstanding salaries and allowances to be paid to some public servants in some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), adding that some of the allowances  that were owed since 2007 have not been settled.

    “We urge Mr. President to do the needful by ordering thorough investigation with a view to paying all outstanding salaries and allowances to affected officers before he leaves office on May 29, 2015. This will not only allow the incoming administration start on a clean slate in terms of payment of staff emoluments, but also further boosts the image of Mr. President as a statesman,” he said.

    According to the ASCSN, the Federal Government is owing salaries of some of its members in the MDAs for July, August, September, and October 2013, adding that the problrm arose because their names were omitted from the pay rolls.

    He said the allowances of many public servants, which include promotion arrears since 2007, hotel accommodation, Duty Tour Allowance (DTA), and mandatory training allowances by the office of the Head of Service of the Federation in 2010, burial expenses and repatriation allowance, had not been paid.

    “We believe that if Mr. President can pay all these outstanding allowances public servants will never forget him. If he leaves office without paying, it shows that he does not have human feeling,” he said.

    The ASCSN said in the Federal Ministry of Education alone, the arrears of allowancess is about N2 billion, while that of Defence Ministry is about N1 billion.

    Meanwhile, the association said it had concluded plans to mobilise thousands of its members on an indefinite strike if the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) did not rescind its plan to sack 1,000 of its workers.

    Lawal regretted that the Federal Government had continued to condone and encourage lawlessness by the NIMC management in spite of reports submitted to it on the happenings in the organisation.

    The union claimed that the  Onyemenam allegedly flouted court orders on the matter.

    It said: “The directive by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity that parties should maintain status quo pending the determination of the trade dispute on the matter and that of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation that he must subject himself to the court process at the Federal Court of Appeal, Abuja, by staying action on the planned sack have been treated with contempt.”

  • Firm introduces job kits

    A FIRM Oye Dynamix has introduced job kits to the market.

    It’s Project Director, Oye Dynamix, Mrs Ajo Afolabi-Balogun, said the kits will prepare graduates for work by imaperting in them  soft skills, such as confidence building, communication skills, etiquettes  and personal hygiene.

    She said the kits were named Oye after the Yoruba word for insight and were designed to improve skills and create opportunities for graduates to get work with its partners in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

    Mrs Afolabi-Balogun said the outfit was borne out of the need to sustain the socio-economic growth and development of Nigeria but training on soft skills which are not learnt in the classrooms.

    She said: “Since we began operations in the last three months, we have trained more than 250 graduates and placed about 10 percent of them in organisations. So, here, we train and place indigenously and make the young ones attractive to their employers.

    “We are passionate about assisting both individuals and businesses succeed within the African market.”

    Soon, the firm would hold career fairs and workshops to reach out to a larger market, she added.

  • Civil servants oppose jumbo severance benefits for Jonathan, others

    DISTURBED by the jumbo severance benefits of about N3.24 billion approved by the Presidency for political office holders, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to reject the offer so that other beneficiaries can follow suit.

    In a statement in Lagos signed by its National President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and the Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, the union expressed worry that despite  public outcry against financial recklessness and sharp practices that have been the bane of the Federal Government in the past   years, the Presidency still proceeded to approve sum of N3.24 billion as terminal benefits for political office holders whose tenure will expire on May 29, including legislators who were re-elected.

    ”This is a sacrilege and it is unacceptable in an economy where civil servants who serve the country for 35years or attain the age of 60 years are not paid any gratuity after service. We demand that all stakeholders in the Nigeria project must stand up now and oppose this financial recklessness’’ the union emphasised.

    The ASCSN argued that if President Jonathan and other political office holders including all  advisers and assistants collect such whopping terminal benefits, then, the incoming government of General Muhammadu Buhari must ensure that they return the money to the public treasury.

    It said it was inconceivable that  a situation where civil servants contribute their meagre salary to the Contributory Pension Scheme and receive no gratuity after many years of service to their fatherland, political office holders who serve for one to eight years and collect millions of naira monthly still award themselves such mouth-watering severance benefits.

  • Workers believe in my leadership, says Wabba

    The President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has said  workers believe in his transparency and leadership style, adding that this is the reason he was elected.

    Speaking with reporters in Abuja, Wabba said the NLC March election was free and fair, adding that contrary to the allegation of the aggrieved group, delegates from all states voted and represented their union.

    “Permit me to clear the air over the campaign, which our erstwhile opponents in the February/March NLC elections used to try to cause division within our ranks as union. We were accused of excluding our members from the Southeast and Southsouth geo political zones from our delegates’ selection because we were unsure that our members from these two zones would vote for the union’s candidate for the NLC President as the two opponents for the position where from the zones.

    “Our National Executive Council (NEC) met in Enugu just before the NLC conference and mandated the National Administrative Committee of our union to work out the modalities and logistics of our participation in the NLC conference where our delegation was more than the total number of delegation for our conference today. Contrary to the falsehood that was propagated that states from the two zones were excluded from our union’s delegates composition, virtually all states were given representation on the list of our union’s delegation to that conference”, Wabba said.

    He said his leadership will continue to be transparent and accountable to the Nigerian workers. He said the union’s detractors have sought to argue that payment to the NLC over the years since the leadership took over has been because of the ambition of some of its leaders to occupy elective positions in the NLC.

    According to Wabba, the truth of the matter is that the leadership only chose to do what is right. “Our colleagues in other unions that are short changing the NLC by paying less than the statutory 10 per cent meant for the NLC are breaking the Trade Union Act and therefore, breaking the law. We therefore, refuse to be apologetic for doing what the law requires of us,” he said.

    Wabba said although efforts have been made to settle with the aggrieved group, the group rebuffed peace moves.

  • Health workers seek adequate funding for primary health care

    The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has called on the Federal Government to ensure better funding and equipment of the primary health care system in the country.

    Its immediate past President Ayuba Wabba spoke at the Ninth National Delegates Conference of MHWUN in Abuja.

    Wabba, who is also the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said it was imperative for the primary health care system, which accounts for 70 per cent of Nigeria’s health care requirement to be given the necessary attention in the area of funding and equipment.

    He said the infrastructure decay in the health sector should be tackled effectively through increased investment in health infrastructure, training and retraining in human resources, among others.

    He lamented over the report that Nigerians spend N1trillion on medical treatments abroad annually. This, he said, further confirmed the poor state of health care delivery in the country.

    “Perhaps it captures the state of decay of our health infrastructure that those who could afford it have been travelling out of the country at the slightest opportunity for medical treatment”, he said.

    He said the medical workers had over the years consistently advocated for the country to come to terms with the level of decay in the nation’s health care system. He also advised the Federal Government to ensure the extension of universal health coverage to rural communities through the National Health Insurance Scheme.

    Wabba, who praised the Federal Government for passing the National Health Bill into an Act, called for a holistic implementation of the Act through the establishment of Local Government Primary Health Care Authority and the State Health Care Development authorities across the country.

    He said: “We have over the years consistently advocated that for us, as a country, to come to terms with the level of decay in our healthcare system, we need to go back to the basics and prioritise investment in health infrastructure, training and retraining of human resources and strive to attain set targets in the sector.

    “For us in the union, it is important that as articulated in the National Health Policy Document, that primary healthcare which accounts for 70 per cent of the healthcare requirements of all Nigerians is adequately funded, properly equipped and staffed with trained professionals…”

    He said after more than six years, the union is happy that the National Health Bill, which suffered many hiccups, has been finally signed into law by the President recently.

    “It is our hope that with the law now in place, the incoming government will develop the will to implement the provisions of the Act,” he said.

  • NLC to Buhari: revive Ajaokuta Steel

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Complex in Kogi State.

    Its Vice President, Comrade Adelegan Solomon, who spoke in Lagos, said the revival of the multi-million dollar complex would spur industrialisation and create jobs.

    “This edifice was conceived to be the cornerstone of our administration. Unfortunately, our political class has refused to accept the simple truth that no country can truly industrialise without an iron and steel industry. The fate of Aladja, Osogbo, Jos and Katsina Steel Rolling Mills post privatisation is too grim to recall here,’’ he said.

    Adelegan bemoaned the growing unemployment in the land, saying the development is unbecoming of the stature of Nigeria among comity of nations.

    He pledged to task the government on their commitment to job creation in line with the in-coming government’s promise to create three million jobs yearly in the country.

  • ITF challenges trainees on entrepreneurship, skills acquisition

    THE Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has urged its trainees to brace to the high  standards expected of them.

    It said it is committed to its objectives of producing skilled manpower that will drive the  economy.

    Its Director-General, Dr Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko, said its students  should imbibe the knowledge provided by the fund, and take charge of leading the nation and the continent into an era of sustainable economic development.

    She said the vision of economic leadership on the continent by the country could only be achieved when adequate attention and commitment is shown by stakeholders to imbibe youths with continuous vocational and technical training knowledge that can create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for them and other citizens.

    The ITF chief noted that while  students have excelled in various technical and vocational sectors, it was important for the beneficiaries of the training to make the most use of it and become entrepreneurs.

    Warning the students against external and internal influences and activities that are capable of derailing their goals, she urged the beneficiaries to consider themselves lucky, considering that ITF’s graduates are “hot cakes” as far as employment, job creation and entrepreneurship in the industrial sector was concerned.

    According to her, the leadership of the ITF has remained focused in meeting the critical manpower needs of the country, despite the challenges and high cost of providing vocational and technical training.

    She assured the students of providing effective training for  them. She said excellence and high standards would continue to define the activities of the fund.

    Mrs Chukkas-Onaeko pointed out that some of the challenges the fund were inherited, urging some of its students who raised concerns over the elongated stay in the skills acquisition centre to remain calm.

    She urged the students  to focus on acquiring skills,assuring them that the challenge of securing more equipment for the centre was already being addressed by the agency.

  • Unions protest sack of its leaders

    Aviation workers acting under the aegis of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) andAir Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) yesterday staged a peaceful protest over the dismissal of four of it union leaders. The unions were calling for the review of the conditions of service of their members.

    The protest, which held at the headqauters of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL), follows the refusal of the company to commence  discussions  on the review of the conditions of service of the workers and refusal to revert the dismissal of the four union leaders. The leaders were agitating for improved conditions of service for the workers.

    The unions, led by the Assistant General Secretary, Comrade Olayinka Abioye  arrived at SAHCOL headquarters in the early hours of the day but could not shut down business activities at the company head office.

    Abioye stated that there will be no discussions until SAHCOL reinstate the dismissed workers, adding that the management of SAHCOL is reluctant in resolving the issue.

    “I think the situation is even getting worst because the management of SAHCOL is feeling very recalcitrant to listen to all our pleadings to come to the negotiation table The four union leaders who were allegedly dismissed and disclaimed in the newspaper as not being staff of the company have to be reinstated before we can have any discussion with the management of SAHCOL,” he insisted.

    The General Manager, Corporate Communications, SAHCOL, Mr Basil Agboarumi alleged that the affected workers have no respect for legally constituted authority.

    He said the workers have constituted themselves into a parallel management in SAHCOL.

  • Workers’ Day: Any hope for Nigerian workers?

    As Nigerian workers join their counterparts across the world to mark this year’s Workers’ Day tomorrow, insecurity of lives and property, casualisation, minimum wage issues, abuse of expatriates’ quotas, unemployment as well as effects of an ailing economy are some of the issues that dominate discourse within labour circles. TOBA AGBOOLA reports.

    Tomorrow, Friday, May 1, Nigerian workers will join millions of their counterparts the world over to mark the 129th anniversary of May Day, a day set aside to mark the struggle of working people internationally against horrible living and working conditions. As it was the case in previous May Day celebrations, a number of issues agitating the minds of Nigerian workers would be in the front burner of national discourse. This is so considering the various promises that have been made in the past with regards to the welfare of Nigerian workers, most of which remained unfulfilled. Till date, the verdict of many Nigerians is that the working condition of the average Nigerian worker is yet to improve. Crappy offices, poor equipment, un-conducive environment, poor salary, casualisation to mention but a few, are issues still haunting Nigerian workers.

    Exploitation and Casualisation

    Recently, the organised private sector unions released alarming data indicating that over 70 per cent of the nation’s workforce in the private sector is casualised. Casualisation is the practice of employing temporary workers for short periods rather than making them permanent staff. This phenomenon is aimed at saving costs.  Under the arrangement, the worker is not entitled to benifits such as transportation, leave, medical allowances or special benefits or packages. Besides, the worker’s take-home pay is so miserable that it can hardly take him/her home.
    In the private sector, the conditions of workers are not different. Job insecurity has become the norm, as private employers are banking on the army of unemployed to exploit those working and drive down wages. From manufacturing to banking, insurance and financial sector, casual and part-time employments have become the order of the day. The recent story of an airport cleaner, paid N8, 000 monthly, but could only be compensated with meagre N4, 000 for returning N12 million lost by a passenger, highlights the horrible conditions many workers face.
    In the banking sector, there is job insecurity as unreasonable targets are set for workers, more than 50 per cent of who are casual or contract staff. Retrenchments are now rampant in banks and financial institutions. In various factories from Lagos to Aba, Kano, etc., tens of thousands of workers are working under terrible conditions that take better parts of their health and agility. In many of these factories, aside the poor salaries and insecurity of jobs, there are health hazards that are hardly addressed by employers, and worse still labour leaders.
    To make matters worse, government that is expected to stop these horrible situations are now taking cue from private employers, to carry out massive casualisation of jobs. In several states, tens of thousands of young people are employed as casual workers under terrible working conditions, under the guise of empowerment schemes. Aside the poor pay, mostly around N10, 000, casual workers do not have basic workers’ rights. The Federal Government has also institutionalised this into its labour policy, in spite of government’s own labour law that prohibits casual labour.
    Today, in several Federal Government agencies and establishments, thousands of workers are employed on casual basis, either by government or private job contractors. Example of this includes the SURE-P and now defunct Federal Teachers’ Scheme employments, where thousands are employed on poor wages of around N15, 000. Added to this is the privatisation gale that has led to massive retrenchment of workers and casualisation of several others as seen in the privatisation of defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), seaports and airports.
    General Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Dr. Peter Oso Ezon, said at least 12.3 million people are victims of forced labour worldwide, saying that the 9.8 million are exploited by private agents, including more than 2.4 million in forced labour as a result of human trafficking. Another 2.5 million are forced to work by the state or by rebel military groups. According to him, the situation also shows that traditional slavery is still found in some parts of Africa, while forced labour in the form of coercive recruitment is present in many countries of Latin America, and in some parts of the Caribbean.
    The National President of the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Senior Staff Association (CANMPSSA), Comrade Abdul Gafar Mohammed, said casualisation is more terrible than unemployment, as it only provides short term relief. His words: “Casualisation is evil, worst than unemployment. An unemployed is free, but a casual is limited in freedom. Anywhere we find it, we confront it head on. In most cases the workers themselves are intimidated by their managements and in such instance we go in to give management ultimatum and we have achieved quite a lot in confronting the menace.”

    Minimum wage imbroglio

    Minimum wage has continued to be a point of disagreement between employees and employers as well as the government and organised labour groups. It is one issue where both parties do not meet, even after an agreement is reached. Last year, the Federal Government through the National Conference tried to amend the constitution to fall in line with the present day reality, thereby altering a section which put labour issues under the exclusive list, which is under the jurisdiction and supervision of the Federal Government. Among this is the issue of wages.
    This has drawn the ire of the organised labour as well as other employees in the private sector. However, just as one man’s meat is another man’s poison, employers as well as the Federal Government seem elated at the resolution. The organised labour has so far threatened fire and brimstone if the proposal sails through.
    National President, Trade Union Congress, TUC, Mr. Bobboi Bala Kaigama, called for total resistance of the move by the federal lawmakers to further impoverish Nigerian workers by withdrawing the meagre national minimum wage through the back door. “We urge the trade union movement, the civil society groups, religious leaders, royal fathers, and other well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the National Assembly to reverse its decision to decentralise wages in the interest of peace in the country. It is surprising that the National Assembly wants to complicate the security challenges in the country by inviting millions of Nigerian workers to take to the streets by its insensitive decision to decentralise wages,” he said.
    The out-going Chairman of the Kwara State Chapter of the union, Comrade Farouk Akanbi, said all efforts have been deployed to address it to further forestall the unforeseen contingencies that may arise in the interest of Nigerian workers. Comrade Akanbi noted that no state was bound by the minimum wage stipulated at the federal level, but it all depends on the state’s financial buoyancy and negotiating dexterity with workers.
    Recently, NLC President, Dr. Ayuba Wabba, emphasised that the N18, 000 minimum wage is no longer realistic, considering the nation’s economic situation. Wabba said the negative impact of the falling price of crude oil at the international market on the country’s economy made it imperative to review the minimum wage. He said with the devaluation of the naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the purchasing power of the average worker had reduced.
    Wabba added that in the face of dwindling economic fortunes, the labour movement would dialogue with the Federal Government and other employers of labour to protect the workers’ interest. At the moment, most states are yet to fully implement the N18, 000 minimum wage won by workers since 2011.

    Retrenchment

    Following the fall in oil prices, there are fears that government may be tempted to reduce its workforce, a situation the NLC has already warned will be resisted. Labour, in a reaction, warned government not to take such step, urging it to instead manage the budget by reducing the cost of governance. Labour said the bloated emolument of political office holders must be cut. A statement by NLC said: “Mr President and the State House must lead in this regard. The size of the presidential fleet, the cost of running the State House and the retinue of political jobbers can all be reasonably cut without reducing the effectiveness of the Presidency.”
    President, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Mr Olusoji Salako, said banks will begin to look at what they can do to reduce their expenses, adding that job loss would be part of it. “You know in Nigeria we don’t have good temperament for economy summersault. If somebody invests and things are not working fine, the next thing is to remove people working with him. In other climes, people will persevere, but here in Nigeria people don’t persevere when it comes to such issue. We are bracing up and also monitoring the employers to ensure that if it becomes necessary to lay off workers, due process must be followed and people affected must be well compensated so that they can function in any part of the economy,” Salako said.
    NLC election

    Activities within the NLC in the last four weeks have further shown that all is not well within the body. The earlier conference to elect the new leadership of the Congress in February ended in chaos due to error in the printing of ballot papers, among others. The two NLC body, recently, held separate inaugural Central Working Committee (CWC) meetings,  in Abuja and Lagos. One was presided over by Comrade Ayuba Wabba, the other by Comrade Joe Ajaero. This further confirmed fears that there is disunity in the number one labour centre. The two groups have since been holding meetings and issuing press statements separately.

    The other election is the 2015 general elections that have seen the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defeated in a keenly contested election. A researcher and State Secretary, Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Kola Ibrahim, said the fact that power has moved into the hands of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may not automatically solve all the challenges facing Nigerian workers.

  • NLC scores BPE below 10%

    The factional President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero has scored the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) below 10 per cent in performance on the premise that most of the companies the agency privatised are now moribund.

    He advised the in-coming government of Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to review the activities of the agency with a view to ensuring that the interest of workers are properly taken care of before embarking on privatisation.

    Comrade Ajaero made this remark at the end of the Central Working Committee meeting of the congress held Lagos.

    According to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the congress resolved to develop a blue print on how to achieve steady electricity supply, adding that there should be a road map on how many megawatts of electricity should be generated yearly over a period of time.

    The congress reaffirmed its commitment to the unity of the labour movement in Nigeria based on the principles of trade union independence, fairness, strong internal democracy, equity, solidarity, gender balance and justice.

    Members of the CWC also reiterated their commitment to genuine dialogue with an independent reconciliation committee to be constituted by labour veterans and civil society leaders with a view to addressing the current challenges facing the congress.

    Ajaero enjoined the government to focus on expanding the frontier for job creation through value added activities in agriculture and manufacturing.

    “The president-elect must muster the political will to confront the hydra headed challenge of smuggling, electricity failure, faking and counterfeiting of made-in-Nigeria goods.

    “We demand special attention to address the challenge of electricity supply in the country and in particular in the immediate term accelerated solution for industrial power needs,” he said.

    He pointed out that once power needs of industries are addressed and the new government is able to create stability in the micro-economic environment, the power prospect for expanded industrial development and job creation is huge.

    He also urged the in-coming administration to address income inequality and widening gap between the poor and the rich through wage improvements and progressive tax administration, even as the minimum wage committee was mandated to develop and send a proposal to the Federal Government and the transition committee.