The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • ‘Prioritise youth employment’

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has charged  the Federal Government to priorotise the creation of employment opportunities for the nation’s youths in this year’s budget.

    The group warned that if the unemployment situation was not tackled headlong, it might become a time bomb.

    Its President, Comrade Bobboi  Bala Kaigama, spoke to reporters in Lagos on how  the Subsidy for Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the Federal Government, may affect youth empowerment.

    He said: “Going by the government’s position on austerity measures as  policies to tighten government expenditure, close loopholes that cause revenue losses and a gross reduction of budget deficits during adverse economic conditions, we call on the government to priorotise the creation of job opportunities for youths in the country as the 2015 budget  for now, is not certain on youth empowerment.

    “This is because the threats for the subsidy for reinvestment and empowerment programme (SURE-P) of Federal Government is an externality to the aggregate 2015 appropriation bill, and it may be adversely affected by the global oil slump, since except the oil price rises, the landing cost of fuel will still be low, leaving little savings for SURE-P that has to do with youth empowerment.”

    Kaigama, who argued that the rate of unemployment in the country is one of the highest in the world, lamented that at 24 per cent, particularly with over 50 per cent of the youth in the urban areas unemployed, the government must review its policies to arrest the unemployment challenges before it gets out of hand.

    “There is an urgent need for the government to show more concern by reviewing its policies on youth entrepreneurship as the high unemployment rate among youth in Nigeria, especially young women has negative effect on our country’s development agenda, particularly as we approach this year’s general elections.

  • Workers urge domestication of ILO protocol

    The Textile Garment and Tailoring Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (TGTSSAN) has urged the Federal Government to ensure that the new global protocol against forced labour is given attention.

    The protocol, which was adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, is aimed at accelerating action against modern slavery.

    Its National President, Comrade Ambi Karu, made the declaration while interacting with reporters on how the protocol has put other world leaders on the spot in efforts to combat forced labour which is rampant in the private sector.

    He said: “We are very comfortable with the new ILO Protocol on forced labour that will put the government of member-states of the ILO on the alert. This is because the private sector is responsible for 90 per cent of the estimated 21 million victims of forced labour, reaping about $150 billion from some of the most severe forms of exploitation in existence.”

    According to Karu, the call became necessary to prevent jobless youths from being exploited by the political class to create political crisis in the country as the nation prepares for this year’s general elections.

    “We are more comfortable because over 92 per cent of employers and workers’ delegates at the  ILO conference voted in favour of the protocol, which the ILO described as bringing one of its longest-standing instruments, Convention 29, into the modern era.

    “We are optimistic that the new ILO protocol, if taken seriously by the three tiers of government will revitalise action to ending forced labour, especially in the textile and garment industry, as the new rule will put those who make money from anti-workers’activities on notice,” he said.

  • The rich evade tax, says NLC

    The rich do not pay tax, the General Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Peter Ozo-Eson, has.

    Speaking with reporters in Lagos, he said: “Most of the very rich people in the country are not paying tax; there must be a scheme to get them to pay adequate tax.

    “Most of the luxury goods are consumed by the rich, and goods in this category include private jets that are in our airports today.’’

    He said the country could survive the economic depression occasioned by the fall in oil prices with effective taxation on luxury goods being consumed by the rich.

    The labour leader appealed to the government to shun plans to transfer the burden of the crisis to the workers.

    “Nigeria is a country that is so rich and yet there is serious poverty that we are talking about. If we tax private jets and other frivolous forms of consumption in a very high rate, that will be a welcome development. Those who consume such commodity should be taxed heavily,’’ Ozo-Eson added.

    The unionist said the starting point of the austerity measures should be a cut in the cost of governance to check waste, adding that the government could efficiently function with leaner expenditure pattern.

    He said: “Our position is that with the employment positions in public sector today, most of the cost that is heavily weighing down the finances has nothing to do with the remuneration of workers. It has to do with the bloated and exquisite allowances attached to the management staff, political office holders and their staff.’’

    The NLC, he said, is supporting the government’s plan to raise tax on luxury items.

  • Why ITF can’t meet job creation target

    Why ITF can’t meet job creation target

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), according to its Director-General, Prof. Longmas Wapmuk, is with the execution of its mandate. It cannot meet up because of non-remittance of the one per cent employers’contribution and inadequate funding, among others,  raising doubts about the Fund meeting its two million jobs creation target, reports TOBA AGBOOLA

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, appears hamstrung. Its efforts at reducing unemployment through vocational training and production of skilled manpower are  being hampered by the non-remittance of the one per cent employers’ contribution and inadequate funding.

    Its immediate past Director-General, Prof. Longmas Sambo Wapmuk painted a bleak picture of things at the organisation.  The Fund is struggling with the  implementation of its mandate because of financial challenges. He said the Fund is targeting about N150 billion revenue yearly to meet its major short and medium term human capacity development programmes.

    Wapmuk said the loss of jobs to Asians and other nationals because of lack of technical skills would become history if ITF gets adequate funds.

    “The wholesome and proper implementation, or operation of the ITF Act 2011 as amended, holds immense benefit for the overall socio-economic well being and development of the nation, because poverty eradication is a vital tool in the war against insecurity, unemployment and hunger,” he said, adding that with proper funding, ITF will expand skill training centres across the country, ensuring that there are 37 of them across the country to cover 3,725 trade areas.

    This, he said, would ensure the training of 25 students, amounting to a total of 23,125 highly skilled technicians yearly, adding that the six centres for Advanced Skills Training for Employment (CASTE) across the six geo-political zones, would also turn out 6,750 highly-qualified graduates yearly.

    He said alot of research had focused on the performance of manpower training institutions and manpower needs in Africa, using the ITF, a key manpower training institution in Nigeria, as a case study.

    However, experts said these benefits might elude Nigerians because of poor funding caused by the non-remittance of statutory contributions by operators in the industrial and Organised Private Sector. This was why the Director-General, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo,  decried the attitude of industrialists and business organisations for refusing, or failing to remit their training contributions to the ITF.

    He said it was important for industrialists and enterprises to meet their financial responsibilities to the Fund so that it could continue to effectively carry out its activities.

    Acknowledging that though, businesses and industries were set up for profit-making, Oshinowo  urged firms that are not remitting to have a rethink.

    A training expert and human resource professional, Kunle Rotimi, also said a change of attitude by stakeholders is needed to keep the ITF sustainably funded. According to him, the ITF remains one of the few organisations in the public sector that is fulfilling its mandate.

    He explained that the initiative by ITF to establish industrial skills training centres in each state, and advanced skills training centres might never be realised if partners failed to live up to their responsibilities.

    Noting that the ITF Act spells out sanctions for defaulters, Rotimi, however, admitted that the punishment may be hard to apply since they are not stiff

    Besides, the ITF, he said, might be reluctant to apply sanctions to partners it intends to work with to address a major national challenge such as unemployment.

    Former President, Nigeria Institute of Training and Development, Femi Kilajo, said the role of vocational training and skills in the eradication of youth unemployment is important. He emphasised that vocational training, including plumbing, industrial welding, iron work and fabrications, as well as computer skills, are being imparted on trainees by the ITF  its centres.

    Pointing out that it was technical and vocational skills adopted by China, Brazil, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and Canada, among other developed nations, that made them strong in terms of economic and industrial output, Kilajo said technicians, welders amongst other numerous trade and crafts have been trained by the Fund, with all of them contributing their parts towards developing the economy.

    The ITF was established in 1971 by the Federal Government to bridge the unemployment gap through the  vocational training, and also produce skilled manpower for the industrial sector.

    According to stakeholders, ITF stands out among all the interventionist agencies of the Federal and state governments that have been created to tackle the problem of acute unemployment in Nigeria due to  its proactive and sustainable result-oriented methods.

    Some graduates of the ITF’s Industrial Skills Training Centre (ISTC) in Ikeja, Lagos, who spoke with The Nation said apart from the provision of skilled manpower for the industrial sector, the ITF also goes the extra mile of ensuring that global standards are brought to bear in its training curriculum. This, they said, was made possible through the Fund’s understudying and engagement with major technical and vocational training institutions.

  • Enforce protocol against forced labour, govt told

    Textile Garment and Tailoring Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (TGTSSAN) has called on the Federal Government to enforce the global protocol against forced labour.

    The protocol, adopted by the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, aimed at accelerating action against modern slavery.

    TGTSSAN’s National President, Comrade Ambi Karu, made the declaration while interacting with reporters on how the protocol has put other world leaders on the alert in the efforts to combat forced labour, which is rampant in the private sector.

    He said: “We are very comfortable with the new ILO Protocol on forced labour that will put government of member states of the ILO on alerts. This is because the private sector is responsible for 90 per cent of the estimated 21 million victims of forced labour, reaping about $150 billion from some of the most severe forms of exploitation in existence.”

    According to Ambi, the call became necessary to prevent  jobless youths from being usurped by the political class to create political crisis in the country as the nation prepares for 2015 general elections

    “We are more comfortable because over 92 per cent of, employers and workers’ delegates at the recent ILO Conference voted in favour of the protocol, which the ILO described as bringing one of its longest-standing instruments, Convention 29, into the modern era.

    “We are optimistic that the new ILO protocol, if taken seriously by the three tiers of government, the federal, states and local governments, will revitalise action to ending forced labour, especially in the textile and Garment industry, as the new rule will put those who make money from anti-workers’ activities on notice,” he said.

     

  • Civil servants yet to get Oct, Nov, Dec salaries

    Civil servants yet to get Oct, Nov, Dec salaries

    The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) is spoiling for a fight with the Federal Goverment over the no-payment of October, November and December salaries.

    Its Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, told reporters in Lagos, that the government should use the N9.2 billion earmarised for stores to pay the salaries.

    “As we write, information reaching the union from informed quarters indicates that about 30 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) will not pay December 2014 salaries to their employees. It is very unfortunate that since October 2014, the Federal Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Works, Labour and Productivity as well as a host of other MDAs have not paid salaries to their workers,” he regretted.

    Lawal, who lamented that the reality on ground was that thousands of civil servants and their dependants would celebrate this year’s Christmas and New Year in sorrow, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene on the matter and ensure that thousands of civil servants are paid their October, November and December salaries before the festivity  to put smile on their faces.

    “We call on the government to use the N9.2 billion earmarked to buy stoves for rural women to offset the October and November salary as well as that of December 2014. We cannot understand how N9.2 billion would be spent on stoves while workers who toil daily to keep the wheels of Government functioning cannot be paid their meagre salary,” he said.

    The labour leader recalled that last year, more than 40 MDAs could not pay December salaries to their workers and when the union raised the alarm, government officials were quick to deny the development prompting the association to publish the names of the MDAs that were involved in the non-payment of salary saga.

    According to him, based on this sad experience of last year, one would have expected that serious steps would have been taken to ensure that the ugly scenario did not repeat itself.

  • TUC decries non-payment of federal workers

    •Urges reduction of fuel prices

    Trade Union Congress (TUC), has  condemned the delay by the Federal Government  in paying thousands of civil servants their salary for over two months now, saying the act is a threat to industrial peace.

    The union made the condemnation in a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos. It  frowned at non-payment of salaries to thousands of civil servants since October this year without any justifiable reason.

    Jointly endorsed by TUC President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and its Secretary General, Comrade Musa Lawal, he said the same problem happened late last year when many public servants celebrated Christmas with empty stomach as a result of refusal of government to pay them their salary.

    It urged the Federal Government to immediately settle all arrears of salaries owed affected workmen in the interest of industrial peace.

    However, spokesman of the Head of Service of the Federation, Haruna Rasheed Imrana told journalists that  it was absolutely not true to say that thousands of civil servants have not been paid their salaries.

    Imrana said: “You better find out which ministry or ministries.  It is possible to have one or two government agencies facing a little delay but it is definitely not a civil service thing. “It is not in the mainstream civil service.To say thousands, you better get the facts right because  there would have been a riot.”

    The communiqué also expressed dismay that the prices of refined petroleum products have remained unchanged despite the significant fall of crude oil prices which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has acknowledged as a being steady.

    It called on the government to immediately adjust the pump price of petroleum products which to ameliorate its impact on their purchasing power occasioned by the devaluation of the naira.

    It condemned the prsecution of employees in the private sector through the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) to scrap or abolish Gratuity Benefits from the existing retirement benefits in the country and also called for the re-emplacement of gratuity in the public sector.

    It said it will fight with all legitimate means at its disposal to ensure the emplacement and the continued existence of the gratuity scheme in Nigeria’s industrial relations system.

  • ITF, SMEDAN, BoI train 37,000 youths

    Industrial Training Fund, (ITF) said it has trained 37,000 youths in collaboration with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Bank of Industry (BoI) in two years.

    According to the organisation, the training was carried out under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), which was introduced by the Federal Government two years.

    Director-General, Dr. Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko, made this known in Lagos during an interactive forum with industry stakeholders organised by the Fund.

    She said the theme of the forum, Moving Forward and Succeeding Together is apt and a clarion call for all its stakeholders to join in the Fund strides towards a developed and industrialised Nigeria.

    Onaeko pointed out that no nation develops by merely exporting raw materials without having a booming industrial sector, saying that for this to happen, an adequate number of skilled workforce as a pre-requisite is needed.

    She added that the Fund came up with a four point agenda which are: increase the number of Nigerians trained to two million annually; fully automate ITF business processes and ensure 100 per cent each of collection training contributions as well as implementation of Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES).

    She added that the four point agenda is intended to ensure effective service delivery that will add value to the bottom line of clients’ operations and guarantee full actualisation of its mandate.

    “As part of our commitment to building the capacity of middle level manpower in Nigeria, the ITF in conjunction with Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has set up a Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP).

    She said: “The project, which currently runs in the facilities of NECA member companies, Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria (PAN) Kaduna, Niger Dock Lagos, Nigerian Breweries and ITF ISTCs in Ikeja and Kano, is set to be expanded to more facilities in order to accept more trainees.”

    She appealed to companies that had failed in their statutory duties change, saying: “it is only when we collectively live up to our responsibilities that our dream of a great Nigeria will be achieved.

  • Labour Ministry urges workers’ safety

    The Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity has charged employers of labour to make safety and health at work their watchword if they desire to have higher productivity.

    It restated its commitment to social dialogue for sustainable implementation of its mandates, adding that  it would ensure continuous auditing of the companies involved in inspection of lifting equipment and pressure vessels to sustain their capacities.

    Its Permanent Secretary, Dr. Clement Illoh in his keynote address at a forum in Lagos warned that no individual or corporate organisation shall be allowed to undermine the integrity and sovereignty of the nation through the sector.

    He said: “Following the success of this exercise, the ministry plans to evolve a collaborative standing committee of stakeholders, for sustainable and continuous improvement, beginning with the development of technical guidelines and codes of practice.”

    He noted that the workshop, second in the series of revalidation for third party competent persons for the statutory inspection of major plants in workplaces, represents another major intervention on the critical aspect of the mandates of the ministry that have faced some challenges in the recent times.

    He said: “This four-day exercise is directed at enhancing technical capacities of authorised inspectors and assessing their level of competence for purpose of revalidating existing certificate of competence and issuance of new ones. “Competency focus is in respect of statutory inspection of pressure vessels to address current challenges and keep in tune with international best practice.”

    In her address, the Director of Factories, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mrs. Nofisat Arogundade said the whole essence of the workshop was to standardise and sanitise the system having discovered that there were quacks in the practice who might have gotten their certificate through questionable means.

  • NUEE blames firms for poor power supply

    The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has blamed  owners of privatised power companies for poor power supply.

    Speaking to journalists in Lagos, its General Secretary, who also doubles as the Deputy President of the National Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, explained that profit motive had been a key factor militating against the performance of the private power sector.

    “Because the private owners are interested and thinking about maximising profit, they needed to reduce workforce and increase electricity tariff.

    “Unfortunately, the end result is constant decrease in power supply. A year before the privatisation, we met with President Goodluck Jonathan and gave analysis that power transmission and infrastructure should be improved upon by the state, because  if the private sector should be mandated to do it, they would have to borrow money from the banks at an interest rate that will be a burden on the consumers.

    He said: “However, if the government were sincere about the privatisation exercise, it should have massively mobilised for the availability of prepaid meters, thereby enabling a proper billing to which also I am sure that distribution companies would not want to absolutely subscribe to because they will not be able to realise their desired objective of maximising profit.”

    He emphasised the need for prepaid metering to address the issue of estimated billings.