The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • CANMPSSA diversifies into business

    • Foundation for N100m guest house laid

    Workers in the chemical sector of the economy have concluded plan to build a three-star guest house  at the cost of N100 million. The workers, under the aegis of Chemical and Non Metallic Senior Staff Association (CANMPSSA), laid the foundation for the 38-room guest house at their secretariat in Sango Ota, Ogun State, as part of efforts to improve the capital base of the union.

    Its national president, Comrade Abdul Gafar Mohammed, said the guest house is expected to offer the best in quality service and facility aimed at surpassing what apply in hotels abroad. “Those who will work in the hotel would be the best hands trained in hospitality industry and the facility on ground will be what is available in any standard three stars hotel,” he disclosed.

    He explained that the union was diversifying into business to enable it remain relevant in the face of the current economic challenges facing the organised private sector. According to him, the industrial sector of the economy, where the chemical sector operates, is worst hit by the prevailing economic hardship in the country and workers have always been the first to go in the option of cutting cost.

    Comrade Mohammed said: “Our membership and check-off dues have reduced drastically because of this. So, we felt if we can go into business, we will rely less on the check-off dues and the union can run smoothly without check-off dues. Besides, we want to be self reliant and grow the union to be one of the best in the country without necessarily being at the mercy of the employers. With that we can fight any injustice from any employer.”

    Comrade Mohammed said the union would also spread its business tentacles into the stock market and farming, noting that such would generate more funds for the union and more employment for Nigerians. “It is our aim to complete the hotel within a year, and for a start, the hotel would provide jobs for about 25 Nigerians. This is a plus removing more Nigerians from the unemployment market in this era when unemployment is a bottle neck to our national growth”, he stated.

    The CANMPSSA boss said the hotel is being built through internally generated contributions from the members of the union, who share the dream and aspirations of the executives. He said the union has not received any support or contributions from any employers yet, though it has sent letters to them. He maintained that with or without contributions from outside, members have promised to ensure that the project is completed on time.

    “I think we have learned a lot; that we can achieve whatever we set our mind to do if we work as a team, and that is what our members have displayed within this short period that we took the decision to levy ourselves,” he said.

  • Labour leaders to govt: leave Jega alone

    Labour leaders to govt: leave Jega alone

    Stakeholders in the labour movement have urged the Federal Government to allow the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, complete his tenure. They said his removal might plunge the nation into crisis.

    Speaking at a workshop organised in Lagos by the Centre for Labour Studies and Advocacy (CLASA) in conjunction with INEC, Executive Director and former General Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr John Odah, said Professor Jega should be allowed to complete  his tenure, which ends on June 23.

    The Labour leader explained that whenever politicians forment trouble, the masses are always at the receiving end. “If at the last minute, the President wants to join those who want to commit illegality, this would dent his image. As of February 14, INEC was ready to conduct the election, but because of some connivance, it was shifted. Jega should be given the chance to conduct the election. Those who think they are in charge and want more international ridicule by calling for the removal of the man should desist from their schemes,” he said.

    Organised labour, he said,   should be at the forefront of setting agenda to disallow politicians’ selfish interests in agenda setting.

    The Director-General, Electoral Institute, Professor Abubakah Momoh, said INEC should be allowed to do its job, saying its responsibility is to make the votes of the people count. “Professor Jega wants to show the public that credible election is possible; so politicians should allow INEC to perform its role in the forthcoming election. The Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is secure and will also prevent rigging,” he said.

    He continued: “If Jega is removed, there will be crisis of confidence in the forthcoming elections. Politicians do not want him because he is a man with integrity. President Jonathan chose him because of his pedigree and impeccable records. In his own (Jonathan’s) interest, he should not listen to politicians calling for Jega’s removal because it will affect his integrity.”

    Abubakar said there is no going back on the use of PVC, adding that anybody who does not want it has the intention of rigging the election. He said anybody that steals or sells PVC is just wasting his or her time, as only the owner of the card can use it.

    “There is no going back on the use of PVC because it has the highest security fortification. Some people that are saying we should go back to Temporary Voters Card (TVC) are not sincere because it will pave way for rigging. More that 80 per cent of Nigerians have collected their PVCs and have returned the TVCs. Are you now saying we should go back to TVC?,” he asked.

    Abubakar called on Nigerians to rally round Professor Jega for him to carry out a credible election. According to him, INEC wants to lift the benchmark so that anybody  coming to take over will not do anything less. “We want to show the world that it is possible to conduct a credible election in Nigeria. Politicians should allow us do our job,” he said, urging the electorates to be more careful in casting their votes. He said they should be at the voting centres in time and follow the rules guiding the voting process.

  • NECA urges NLC to redeem image

    The re-scheduled Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) election should be about redeeming the image of the organised labour movement, Director-General, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Mr. Segun Oshinowo has said.

    “This time around they just have to get it right. What happened during the delegates conference recently in Abuja has really cast a lot of aspersion on the integrity of the organised labour,” he said.

    While noting that it was the first time organised labour would act in such a manner at any of their gatherings, Mr. Oshinowo described the manner the NLC election ended as shameful, embarrassing, ridiculous and a dent on the image of the movement.

    He said: “What happened at the election eroded their moral credentials to condemn or commend what happens in the larger society, saying it was a minus.”

    The NECA boss, however, commended the members of the trade movement for rising in total condemnation of the act and their readiness to correct the anomaly. “I am happy that our colleagues on the other side have not spared themselves in condemning the shameful act, bearing in mind the position of the NLC in the society,” he said.

    Oshinowo expressed displeasure over the ugly incidenct, which he said happened during the nation’s general election period. Besides, the Congress had, at the opening ceremony of the delegates conference, promised to use its election to serve as model for the nation’s politicians.

    It would be recalled that the NLC 11th delegate conference election held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, ended abruptly when pandemonium broke out due to some irregularities observed on the ballot papers.

  • TUC supports strike by ASCSN

    The Osun State Council of Trade Union Congress (TUC), has thrown its weight behind the proposed strike by its affiliate, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Osun Branch and the ongoing strike action by the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Osogbo.

    Its Chairman, Comrade Akinyemi Olatunji, called on  the public, particularly the media to disregard a contrary statement made by former Chairman of the Council, Oladele Francis Adetunji,  he purportedly disassociating the Council from the said strike.

    He said in accordance with the TUC’s Constitution Adetunji ceased to be the Chairman of TUC Osun State Council consequent upon the expiration of his tenure  and the subsequent election and inauguration of the present Executive Committee on March 6, last year, even though he has refused to come to terms with the transition that is sure to come.

    Adetunji, according to Comrade Olatunji, was not representing anybody but himself and his paymasters in the state, who are using him to undermine the legitimate interests of the working class. “Naturally his anti-union posture has rightfully caused him to be ostracised by all TUC members in the state and also earned him an indefinite suspension from the Congress by a resolution of the National Executive Council (NEC).

    “While we do not begrudge Adetunji on his solitary walk, we remind him and his ill-advised sponsors that he, who has no one following him, cannot validly call himself a leader. He is merely a man taking a stroll. Perhaps he will learn the lessons of the prodigal son and retrace his steps someday,” Olatunji said.

  • ‘Gender equality, women’s empowerment crucial to UNIDO’

    ‘Gender equality, women’s empowerment crucial to UNIDO’

    Gender equality and women empowerment are crucial to the the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the Director-General,  LI Yong, has said

    Yong, who gave an address titled: “Advancing Gender Equality, Empowerment of Women and Girls for a Transformative post-2015 Development Agenda”, to markthe International Women’s Day.

    “Empowering women is empowering humanity. Gender equality and women’s empowerment is central to UNIDO’s work as it is not only a matter of human rights, but also a precondition for sustainable development and economic growth, which are drivers of poverty reduction and social integration.

    He said when women and men are equal, economies grow faster, more people are lifted out of poverty and the overall well-being of societies is enhanced. “Central to UNIDO’s mission of inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) is the urgent need to harness the economic potential of women–half of the world’s population. Women are powerful drivers of ISID and their role is poised to become even greater in the future,” he said.

    Yong said women and girls make up 70 per cent of the world’s extreme poor, adding that out that, the majority lives in rural areas where communities are resource-poor and isolated, and most subsist on small-scale productive activities.

    “UNIDO helps develop competitive agro-industries in order to create jobs and sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor. By providing technical assistance, UNIDO aims to strengthen agro-industrial capabilities and linkages to facilitate economic transformation in rural communities, particularly among women and youth.

    “For example, UNIDO provides rural women and men equal access to new agro-technologies and skills upgrading. Assistance is also provided for process optimisation, compliance with quality and environmental standards, and the identification of market opportunities,” he said.

    Yong said in addition to maximising entrepreneurial and economic opportunities for rural women, UNIDO targets sectors with a high potential for wealth creation, food security or export promotion.

  • 47,913 PHCN workers cry for payment

    47,913 PHCN workers cry for payment

    About 47, 913 bona fide staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) are yet to receive their severance package after the privatisation of the electricity sector.

    The workers protested the non-payment of their housing allowance, totalling about N400million by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

    They said the money was deducted from their salaries in  2013 before their disengagement.

    The workers carried placards bearing various inscriptions, such as “President Jonathan, please help us locate where our money is hanging”; “There is God o o o”; and “Why delay payment of our housing allowances since 2013?”

    The protest took place at the secretariat of Oyo State Correspondents at Mokola, Ibadan.

    Addressing reportesr, their spokespersons, Oyedele Edna Owesiri, Julius Adeleke Taiwo, Adesina Olayinka, described as unusual the delay in the payment of the allowances.

    They said some of their colleagues have been paid while their own payment was being unduly delayed.

    The aggrieved workers claimed that the money has been paid to batches one to 10, but for reasons best known to those concerned, they have refused to pay batches 11 and 12.

    While pleading with President Goodluck Jonathan to look into their plight, the visibly angry ex- workers lamented that some of them have died waiting for the money.

    They explained that the affected workers are spread across Ogun, Kwara and parts of Kogi, Osun and Oyo states.

    Specifically, they asked the National Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO), a body set up by the Federal Government to see to all liabilities incurred by the government during the privatisation, to intervene.

    Meanwhile, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and other relevant government agencies have embarked on the last round of verification to sort things out.

    Director-General of the BPE,  Benjamin Dikki made this known when he featured at a radio programme in Lagos.

    He said: “This is the last verification exercise. After this exercise, all staff that did not  come for verification will be declared ghost workers.”

    Dikki appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the evolving electric market in the country as the ains in the sector would not manifest overnight. He explained that unlike reforms in other sectors, which brought immediate results, the power sector reform requires time as investment in the sector is capital intensive.

    Dikki said over N300 billion worth of investments has been injected into the power sector since the take over, one-and-half years ago.

    He pointed out that the investment was for the upgrade of power infrastructure, adding that they become obsolete over the decades, saying that new technologies are evolving.

    He said because of the infrastructural development by the power investors, power interruptions in the country have reduced to the barest minimum, while over 2,000 engineers and technicians have been employed since the takeover.

    Dikki noted regretted that for over 16 years as a public monopoly, PHCN neither employed nor brought in new investments into the sector.

  • Don’t sell your PVCs, workers urged

    Don’t sell your PVCs, workers urged

    Stakeholders in the labour sector have cautioned workers to resist the temptation of exchanging their permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) for money from unscrupulous politicians in the country.

    They made the call in Lagos at a one day-interactive session organised by the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN)  with the Voters Education and Publicity Department of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    A communiqué signed by the union’s  President, Comrade Dele Hunsu, urged workers and other electorates to make sacrifice and ensure that they comply with the schedule and directive of the electoral officers.

    “Nigerian workers must ensure that they arrive the election venue early as accreditation is expected to commence at 8.00am and close at 1:00pm whilst voting commences at 1:30pm,” he said.

    He said workers should embrace the use of PVC and the card reader and join forces with INEC in forestalling electoral fraud.

    He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the observed improvement in the PVC distribution leading to over 52 million voters having received their cards.

    On the botched elections of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which held in Abuja last month, Hunsu urged Nigerian workers to put the ugly development behind them and elect progressive leaders that will work to defend the rights of workers.

  • Judiciary workers threaten legal action

    Judiciary workers threaten legal action

    The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has vowed to institute a legal action against state governments that have not implemented the Federal High Court, Abuja verdict that granted financial autonomy to the judicial sector.

    JUSUN President, Comrade Marwan Mustapha Adamu, made the threat after an emergency meeting of its national officers, saying the union has notified its lawyers to approach the court to freeze the accounts of defaulting states.

    Speaking on the union’s ongoing strike in some states in the country, Adamu said the strike will continue alongside the intended court action, stating that the suspension of the strike in Enugu, Niger, Kogi, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Delta and Bayelsa followed compliance of union’s demands by the governments.

    JUSUN suspended its nationwide strike recently following a memorandum of understanding reached with the Federal Government, but directed state chapters not to do so until an understanding is reached on the implementation of the court judgment.

    Adamu lamented the decision by the Jigawa State Government to withhold the January salary of its members, saying that the union would use all legal channels available to challenge intimidation of its members and ensure that Nigeria’s labour laws are respected.

    “States facing various threats and intimidation from their state governments, including non-payment of salaries, are to continue with the struggle as the union, among other opinion is considering taking appropriate legal action to address each case on its merit.

    “State branches are not to submit the struggle to the whims and caprices of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) chairmen, such as in Abia which has arrogated to themselves the power to determine conditions for suspending the strike. Any strike suspended without due process shall be nullified by the national headquarters of JUSUN.

    “The union remains focused and will take all appropriate legal steps to enforce its resolutions on the strike for the implementation of the constitutional provision of judiciary autonomy confirmed by the court judgment of 13th January, 2014,” he said.

  • 21m in forced labour, says ILO

    21m in forced labour, says ILO

    About 21 million women, men and children are forced to work under inhuman conditions on farms, in sweatshops, on board fishing vessels, in the sex industry or in private homes, with their sweat generating $150 billion in illegal profits annually, Director General, International Labour Organisation, Guy Ryder, has said.

    Ryder, who gave the startling statistics in a statement marking this year’s World Day of Social Justice, insisted that there should be no excuse, that forced labour can be stopped.

    “World Day of Social Justice should galvanise action against poverty and social exclusion. Work done in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity – decent work – is a key to inclusion and it is a conduit of social justice.

    “Yet the global situation gives cause for grave concern. The economic gap continues to widen, with the richest 10 per cent earning 30 to 40 per cent of total income while the poorest 10 per cent earn between two and seven per cent.

    “In 2013, 939 million workers – 26.7 per cent of total employment, were still coping on $2 a day or less. Millions of young people facing a future of unemployment or working poverty are losing hope in promises of economic and social progress,” Ryder said.

    He lamented that women and children are particularly at risk of being abducted and sold into slavery in times of violent conflict, stressing that in some instances, forced labour keeps entire families and communities in abject poverty for generations.

    “Ending forced labour calls for integrated approaches. Governments, employers and their organisations, trade unions and civil society organisations, each have a role to play in protecting, defending and empowering those who are vulnerable, as well as creating opportunities for decent work for all,” he said.

  • TUC urges COAS to redeem pledge

    • Union pleads for condemned soldiers

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has commended and urged the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Kenneth Minimah, to go all out to reward soldiers as promised during his visit to Baga town in Kukawa Local Government Area, Bornu State.

    TUC in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, also urged the leadership of other security operatives who are participating in the fight to follow suit.

    “We read in the dailies that COAS had boosted the morale of the troops at the scene of the fight when he commended their courage and patriotism in the fight to save our dear country. He told them that every soldier who participated in the Baga operation, whether dead or alive has been promoted to the next rank. While we commend the COAS for the confidence-building trip, we wish to passionately appeal to him to ensure that the promise is fulfilled straight away as it will go a long way in motivating and encouraging the soldiers,” Kaigama said.

    The Congress appealed to the Federal Government and the military authority to temper justice with mercy on the soldiers who were condemned some months ago.

    “Justice, they say serves a better societal purpose when tempered with mercy. And indeed the quality of mercy is not strained. It is twice blessed. It blesses he that gives and he that takes.

    “We can say that when functions are carried out systematically and meticulously, and to the best of ability, the result is success and joy for all,” he said.