The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Privatisation: Workers score BPE low

    Privatisation: Workers score BPE low

    The Steel and Engineering Workers’ Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) has scored the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) low over its handling of the privatisation process in the country.

    Its National President, Comrade Elijah Adigun, who spoke at the union’s yearly Industrial Relations Conference held at the Teachers’ House,  Ibadan, said the BPE, saddled with the responsibility of selling partially and wholly owned Federal Government companies, has not done well.

    “The BPE that was saddled with the responsibility to sell partially and wholly owned Federal Government companies, ostensibly to increase capacity utilisation and create jobs for our teeming workforce must be ashamed of its achievement as nearly all the companies privatised have either closed shop or are comatose,” he said.

    Adigun cited the case of the steel industry, which has been comatose to include automobile companies such as Anammco Limited, Enugu; National Truck, Kano; Steyr Nigeria Limited, Bauchi and Leyland Nigeria Limited, Ibadan, designed for the manufacturing of trucks, medium and long range mass transit system because of the steel firm’s inability to supply raw materials to them .

    The country, he said, continues to deplete scarce foreign reserves to import needed vehicles for its mass transit system.

    He said whereas the Federal Government established Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) Limited and Volkswagen of Nigeria (VON) to provide the country’s official and pleasure cars, the aforementioned vehicle assembly plants are lying idle and their premises being used as warehouses for junks imported from Asia.

    Adigun faulted the claim by Volkswagen of Nigeria that it has begun assembling vehicles in the company, pointing out that such claims are mere publicity stunts to deceive the world.

    In a similar vein, the its Deputy General Secretary, Mr. Okonma Paul, said the essence of privatisation in the steel sector has been completely defeated, adding that the investor, who bought most of the steel manufacturing companies, does not know anything about the sector.

    The union, he said, has written the BPE on two occasions to show its disagreement on the way issues are being handled.

    Adigun also blamed the comatose state of the manufacturing sector on the epileptic power supply, describing it as one of the major hindrances to the growth of the sector.  He regretted that the cries of the union for improved power has received little or no attention from the concerned authorities.

    He said although every succeeding government claimed to have sunk billons of dollars to address the malaise,  but  the impact has not been felt in the industry, noting that, the situation has allegedly contributed to the crippling of the manufacturing sector  regarded as the hub of employment generation.

    “This is exactly the reason for the manufacturing division of most private sector companies’ relocation to neighboring countries, while bringing finished goods to our country. The implication is that our economy creates jobs for the home countries of manufactured goods at the detriment of our teeming workforce,” Adigun said.

    The high interest rate regime in the country, according to him, is crippling business and fuelling inflation in the economy. He added that the situation is further compounded by the directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to commercial banks to retain 50 per cent of public sector funds in their custody.

    He said except this high cost of obtaining fund is addressed, the plight of the industrial sector will grow from bad to worse.

    Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State Branch, Comrade Bashiru Olanrewaju  urged steel  workers to improve their productivity because it is the only way to be competitive in the labour market, adding that the steel industry must be embraced for the country  to where it should be.

    “Our nation should get a functional and effective steel sector. If we must grow, we must also embrace Information and Communications Technology (ICT). We can also learn from other nations like China, Japan,” he said.

    He said about  30 years ago, nobody respected China and Japan. But today, they are respected because they have embraced the industry, developed their steel manufacturing industry.

  • Ebola, insurgency reduce economic growth rate by 0.5%

    Ebola, insurgency reduce economic growth rate by 0.5%

    Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that the country’s projected economic growth rate for this year would reduce by 0.5 per cent due to adverse effects of Ebola disease and Boko Haram’s attacks.

    Speaking in Lagos after meeting with the Global Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Plc, Mr. Paul Polman, the Minister said: “We have discounted our growth by a half percentage point this year, part of that includes consideration for Ebola.”

     The half a percentage point reduction in our economic growth includes the effect of Boko Haram. “We have discounted the effect of terrorism in the North East,” she added.The Minister said though the nation’s growth rate has been discounted by a half percentage point this year, “We are still projecting to grow around 6.5 per cent. We would have grown at about seven per cent.”

    She assured that government would continue to monitor the situation to determine if it would have further impact on the economy.She also said that government had instituted a team led by the Chief Economic Adviser to continue monitoring the impact of the Ebola virus disease on the economy.

    “We have not finished. We are still monitoring. We have a little team, chaired by the Chief Economic Adviser that is working on the impact of Ebola now. So far, what you have seen is not having that big an impact but we are still monitoring. You know it is not over, and if need be, if we see a further impact, we will announce it and we will do further work to see what further impact it will have on the growth rate.”

    Now, we have to look at Ebola very carefully because we have 19 cases; and out of these we have seven deaths and 11 recoveries. We are monitoring some people in Port Harcourt area as you have heard from the Minister of Health. We believe that the way we have been managing this has contained it. And so, largely, people have gone about their business activities in the economy.”

    You know our economy is largely driven by internal consumption. That is why we are not thinking that it would have quite a large impact. But there would be some impact, you can see that hotel occupancy rates are down and some business meetings have been postponed by people from outside. “So, we are taking that into account. So far, half a percentage point is largely for terror and a little bit for Ebola. But the impact is not that much,” she stated.

    The Finance Minister explained that the visit of the Unilever CEO to Nigeria was a testament to the fact that the country was safe for businessmen, adding that the visit “is one more of an endorsement from the international community.” She commended the company for donating  750 cases of their premium soap, lifebuoy to inculcate the culture of cleanliness and personal hygiene on the public.Earlier in his remarks, the visiting Unilever CEO to Nigeria, Mr. Polman stated that Unilever would invest $200m in Nigeria and inaugurate one of its new facilities in the country in October.

    “We have invested 50 per cent of our turnover in the last three years in Nigeria. That is probably an investment that any company will not be able to support on a long-term but we are able to do that because of our global scale and commitment to Nigeria.”We feel this is the right time to increase our presence in Nigeria.

    Our growth potentials are accelerating and we think that a lot of potential are actually being unlocked right now. I know Ebola itself might take 0.5 per cent of the economy as the minister has shared with me, but we should not forget that despite the threat that the country has faced here and there, you were able to curtail this horrible disease. The investment climate has continued to be very attractive. There are not so many countries in the world that have 6.54 per cent growth, not even in Africa,” Polma stated.

    He noted that the Nigerian market is half of the African and even global business. “The huge population is a plus for a discerning investor. Because of our belief in the current reforms, we have also attracted five of our major suppliers to invest locally. A radical reduction in the cost of energy provision through the unbundling of the sector will make our products more competitive and manufacturing process more efficient. We believe in this country having been here for 91 years and will do our best to help it grow in a sustainable way,” he said.

    The Unilever boss encouraged other multinationals to invest in the country, noting that for a population of 170 million people very few countries globally can boast of that population figure.

  • Insecurity in Northeast worries NUPENG, TUC

    Insecurity in Northeast worries NUPENG, TUC

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have expressed worries over  current insecurity in the Northeastern part of the country where Boko Haram insurgents are over-running towns and villages.

    The union noted that  towns such as Gulak, Madagali, Michika, Uba, Bazza in Adamawa State have fallen to the insurgents, while Banki, Gwoza, Bama have been taken in Borno State as the onslaught and senseless killings  continue.

    NUPENG President, Mr Igwe Achese and General Secretary, Mr. Isaac Aberare, in a statement,  said the union is calling on the military to declare the area as war-zone and flush out the insurgents as there cannot be a caliphate within a republic.

    The oil workers’ union leaders said  the military must be fully equipped with modern weapons to challenge the insurgents carrying sophisticated arms and ammunition, adding that the union wants a concerted effort with the support of neighbouring countries such as Cameroon, Niger and Chad to help stem the tide.

    The Federal and state governments in the Northeast, NUPENG said, must address the problem of people running out of the disaster zone, while the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) must deploy more men and relief materials to assist them.

    TUC urged the Federal Government to take necessary measures to safeguard the territorial integrity of the country.

    Its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, in a statement in Abuja, said the call became imperative following reports that some major cities in Borno and Adamawa states had come under threat and may have fallen into the hands of Boko Haram militants.

    He pointed out that if the insurgents were allowed to establish their footholds in any city in Nigeria, it might spell doom for the territorial integrity and continued existence of the country as a corporate entity.

    “If any part of Nigeria becomes the base for the insurgents, no part of West Africa will be safe and the human tragedy that will follow is better imagined than experienced.

  • NUFBTE begins strike over sack of 65 workers

    The National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) has commenced an indefinite strike at Fan Milk Company in Ibadan over what it described as illegal termination of the appointment of over 65 members of the union.

    The union said its action was in conjunction with the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) procedure.

    It called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to prevail on the mobile police officers in Ibadan, who have been assaulting the workers since the action began.

    Its National President, Comrade Lateef Oyelekan in a statement, said the management had mobilised five trucks of mobile policemen to the company to threaten the workers, who are only exercising their rights and have not embarked on any form of hooliganism.

    He noted that the union’s action  was as a result of a redundancy action carried out by the company  without discussing with the union.

    “The action of the management is unilateral, as the union was not privy to it and as such, it negates the contractual agreement we have with the company, hence it is null and void”, Oyelekan said.

    He explained that the company only wrote the union last Thursday on the issue, which the union replied that it would be available for discussion on September 22 after its National Executive Meeting (NEC).

    He said: “But we were baffled that the management could start distributing letters the following day, which means it was intentional and that is against industrial relations practice and Nigeria Labour Law.”

    The company’s action, according to him, could not have been unconnected with the union’s refusal of the Fan Milk’s management plan to cancel workers’ existing gratuities and move the accrued fund to a Swiss Bank.

    He said payment of gratuity in the sector is non negotiable as it is established at the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC), a negotiation body for both the employers and employees. He stressed that no employer in the sector can contradict or go against it.

    Meanwhile, the company’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Seyi Adetayo said the company has met with the union over six times since January this year on the issue of redundancy, and the union at each meeting never saw reason with the management on the need to carry out the exercise.

  • Govt restructures national productivity system

    Govt restructures national productivity system

    The Federal Government is set to restructure the country’s national productivity system in order to evaluate resources invested in the economy and ensure maximum performance and service delivery.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Iloh disclosed who spoke in Abuja at a workshop themed: “Implementing National Policy on Productivity and Basic productivity Improvement Techniques in Workplaces”, said the workshop was aimed at improving productivity in the country.

    He said measures were being put in place to develop and apply strategies for implementation of the national policy on productivity.

    According to Iloh,  productivity improvement tools and techniques are critical instruments for the realisation of government’s transformation agenda in innovation, excellence at work, global competiveness, products and quality services delivery. He expressed concern that for over  two decades the level of national productivity particularly labour productivity, has been on the decline.

    “Furthermore, government’s efforts at enhancing productivity have not yielded the desired impact due to low performance resulting from the low capacity of officers charged with responsibility to handle productivity improvement matters,” he said, urging participants to maximise the benefits of the workshop by acquiring knowledge, skill and competence on productivity measurement and improvement techniques for application in workplaces.

  • Tanker drivers threaten to shut fuel supplies

    Tanker drivers threaten to shut fuel supplies

    The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has warned of an impending strike action in  Southsouth and Southeast parts of the country following the government’s failure to heed its call for urgent repairs of the Port Harcourt-Eleme junction , Okigwe-Umuahia and Jebba-Oloru-Ilorin roads in Rivers, Abia and Kwara states, respectively.

    They gave the warning in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Comrade Salimon Oladiti, after a meeting with executive members of the union in Abuja.

    Comrade Oladiti said the union executive has resolved to take action by ensuring that lifting or distribution of petroluem products in these axes are discontinued in the next two weeks if nothing is done to repair the roads and save its members from the continued carnage on such roads daily.

    The union said the roads had claimed the lives of some of its members and portend great danger to more members’ lives and properties. The deplorable state of the Port Harcourt- Eleme junction road with a distance of about 10 kilometers, he said, takes seven to eight hours of manoeuvring by trucks, many of which break down in the process, upturning contents, killing members and endangering the lives of several others using the road.

  • ASSBIFI calls for synergy between govt, employers

    ASSBIFI calls for synergy between govt, employers

    The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI, has called on employers to take advantage of government’s industrial policy and partner with workers to ensure fair and sustainable labour practices to promote harmony in the nation’s industrial sector.

    ASSBIFI’s National President, Comrade Sunday Salako, told The Nation that there is need for collaborative effort by stakeholders that should culminate in attracting  new investors into the country.

    He said: “We call on both government and other employers of labour to partner with the workers through transparent implementation of the industrial policy to guarantee the sustainability of fair labour practices for the nation’s industrial sector to thrive.

    “This is because with sustainable industrial policy, Nigeria will be able to witness sustained, fair labour practices.

    “Our call is necessary now because interestingly, governments around the world are increasingly strengthening labour institutions to play a leading role in the promotion of dialogue as an important reflex to help raise the capacity of critical partners in the national development agenda,” adding that stakeholders should embrace dialogue with workers. He said social dialogue is an important element in industrial peace and harmony in workplace.

    Salako, who is the first Deputy President, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), gave marching orders to some management of banks and insurance companies to urgently unionise their workers, or they would be forced to close down their business premises.

    He said the era when employers of labour decide whether their members of staff should be unionised is gone, taking cognisance of the fact that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Core Convention 87 and 98, and Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are sacrosanct in the roadmap to ASSBIFI’s unionisation pursuit,” he said.

    The union also called on the three tiers of government to reduce poverty by 25 per cent  by 2016, stating that the country has all it takes to be one of the leading economies in the world.

  • NLC condoles Dimgba Igwe’s family

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described the death of  the Sun Newspaper Vice Chairman, Mr. Dimgba Igwe, who was killed last Saturday  by a hit-and-run driver, as an assault on quality journalism.

    In a statement, its General-Secretary, Comrade Peter Ozo-Eson, said the circumstances surrounding  Igwe’s death call to question the mental fitness of most drivers.

    The NLC’s scribe, who wondered how the speed level of a vehicle could have run down a man on a small street, resulting in his untimely death in just a few hours.

    “We call on the Federal Road Safety Commission to investigate, apprehend and prosecute the driver of the vehicle who allegedly ran down Mr. Igwe. Once drivers who derive joy in reckless driving,  know that they could end up in jail, accidents such as this would be reduced,” he said.

    According to Ozo-Eson, the NLC will continue to remember the late Igwe as one of the founding Editors of the defunct Concord Newspapers and a versatile columnist whose writings have contributed immensely to shaping thoughts, contemporary political discourse, and progressive journalism in Nigeria.

    “We condole with Mr. Igwe’s family, the Sun Publishing Company, the Nigeria Guild of Editors, and indeed, the entire media community in Nigeria as we share in the collective agony his death has brought to all of us,”he said.

  • Trustfund educates desk officers on best pension practices

    Trustfund educates desk officers on best pension practices

    Trustfund Pensions Plc has organised an interactive session for private and public organisations’ Pension Desk Officers on the implementation of best practices in deduction and remittances of workers’ pension contributions.

    The session, a collaborative one with Trustfund and Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited, held in Abuja. It was attended by desk officers drawn from all states of the northcentral geopolitical zone.

    Trustfund Pensions Chief Compliance Officer, Rachael Obi, who anchored the event, said it became necessary because of the prevailing “knowledge gap” between operators and employers remitting contributions on a monthly basis.

    Obi said mistakes made at the point of depositing contributors’ funds in the banks, meant that such contributors may face challenges upon retirement when they want to access their savings.

    “We want a situation where  we can reconcile our accounts everyday. We want to be able to operate like the banks in this regard. That is what prompted us to bring our desk officers,” she said.

    She added that the interaction was to create an avenue for the sensitisation of employers on modalities for remittance of contributions and other pension issues affecting individual contributions.

    “It will also educate employers on their regulatory responsibilities in accordance with the Pension Reforms Act of 2014 and to minimise the growth of un-reconciled contributions and transitional contributory funds,” she said.

  • ‘Occupational illness, accidents at work claim $2.8tr’

    ‘Occupational illness, accidents at work claim $2.8tr’

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has stated that latest report from its research has showed that the direct or indirect cost of occupational illness and accidents at work is estimated at $2.8 trillion worldwide.

    ILO’s Director-General, Guy Ryder, who stated this while lending his support to the recently organized World Congress on Safety and Health at Work held in Frankfurt, Germany said a world without fatal or serious occupational accidents is possible.

    He said the direct or indirect cost of occupational illness and accidents at work is estimated at $2.8 trillion worldwide, noting that the triennial Congress was co-organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Association (ISSA), and was hosted by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV).

    According to Ryder, about 2.3 million people worldwide die annually as a result of occupational illnesses and accidents at work, adding that there are also 860,000 occupational accidents every day, with consequences in terms of injuries.

    “These figures are unacceptable and yet these daily tragedies often fail to show up on the global radar. Clearly, there is still much to be done. Serious occupational accidents are, firstly, human tragedies but economies and society also pay a high price.

    “The right to a safe and healthy workplace is a basic human right – a right to be respected at every level of development and in different economic conditions.