The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Fed Govt okays N400b for PHCN retirees, others

    Fed Govt okays N400b for PHCN retirees, others

    The Federal Government has approved N16 billion for the payment of the entitlements of retirees and pensioners of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in preparation for the privatisation of the power sector.

    This is in addition to the N384 billion earlier okayed as severance package for employees of the power firm before it is privatised.

    The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, who disclosed this in a statement, directed the power distribution firms to resolve the improper billing and metering of electricity consumers.

    He said at the end of the privatisation, Nigerians will heave a sigh of relief as generator importers will soon be pushed out of business.

    The statement said: “The minister has directed the commencement of the payment of severance package to PHCN staff, on which about N384 billion is going to be expended with additional N16 billion to pay other retirees and pensioners of the company.

    “Nebo directed that all issues surrounding metering and unfair billing should be resolved immediately without any Nigerian being short-changed.”

    Nebo said the neglect of the sector was as a result of the wrong notion that classified power as a social welfare service.

    He observed that it was only in 1999, when Nigeria returned to democracy, that the neglect of the sector was addressed.

    Citing an instance, the minister said for 17 years, no engineer was hired in the power sector, stressing that this huge gap in human capacity required to run the sector was being bridged with the ongoing recruitment of young Nigerian engineers.

    Nebo said the country generates over 4,000 megawatts of electricity, adding that before this administration, the country was producing just over 2,000MW.

    “From 2,000MW in 2010 to 4,500MW, is this not an achievement?” he asked.

    The minister, however, stated that all hands must be on deck to improve power generation as the 4,000MW was unacceptable considering the nation’s population and potential.

    Nebo further explained that the government was committed to diversifying the energy generation capacity to include renewable sources, such as wind, solar, coal, biomass and hydro.

    On the previously moribund Rural Electrification Agency, he said the administration had revived it and made it to be more effective in the provision of electricity off grid to rural dwellers.

    He assured that the revolution in the telecoms sector would be a child’s play when compared with what was about to happen in the sector, stressing that huge investments were expected from the privatisation when is completed.

  • ILO launches project to reduce female trafficking

    ILO launches project to reduce female trafficking

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has launched a new project called ‘Work in Freedom’ to provide women migrant workers from South Asia with a more secure future.

    The project is funded by the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development for 9.75 million pounds over five years.

    The ILO said the initiative focused on domestic workers and garment workers, while Industrial Global Union is a partner in the project.

    “The aim is to provide the women and girls with practical support and advice to enable them to avoid the pitfalls of trafficking and to contribute to a better lifestyle for their families”, said ILO.

    At the meeting in London, the global body said some success stories were applauded, such as the Nepali Trade Union Centre, which has set up support committees for Nepali migrant workers in the most important receiving countries, SEWA, the Indian self-employed women’s association which has successfully organised informal women workers and the Jordanian textile union which also organises migrant workers.

    The ILO Better Work programme focuses on garment workers. In Jordan 40,000 people work in the garment sector, 30,000 of whom are migrant workers. 65 per cent of the workers are women.

    The ILO stated further: “The issues where the Better Work program has made a difference are in stopping the confiscation of documents, the elimination of the nightly curfew, limiting compulsory overtime and changing the recruitment process.

     

     

    “Recently, a collective agreement was signed in Jordan, which can be considered to be an achievement for the region. The contract regulates wages, working hours, union representation and dues check-off, while giving the union the opportunity and the responsibility to represent migrant workers.

    “This contract goes a long way toward ensuring migrant workers’ rights. In Jordan migrant workers have two to three year contracts, whereas Jordanian workers have open-ended contracts. The minimum wage in Jordan is 185 USD per month plus food and accommodation, thus attractive conditions for workers from Bangladesh”.

    The global Labour body harped that precarious work aids and abets trafficking.

    The body charged that in the meantime industry and consumers are required more than ever to abide by ethical manufacturing principles, as such could mean hope for the women who migrate to the Middle East looking for a better life.

  • Sea workers want compensation over oil spills

    THE Sea Workers and Integrated Fishermen Association of Nigeria in Akwa Ibom State is demanding compensation from Mobil Producing Plc for alleged oil spillage, which affected their businesses.

    In a petition signed by the fishermen’s lawyer, Theo Nwaigbo, they insisted that Mobil Oil Producing Unlimited should compensate them ‘for all wrongs/liabilities incurred by members during series of oil spills’ in their area.

    He said it was in the best interest of the oil giant to approach the affected fishermen for compensation, rather than allowing the matter to escalate.

    He noted that BP Plc had paid $4.5billion in penalties for spilling nearly five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

    He lamented that it is only in Nigeria oil companies could commit such ‘environmental crime’ and still continue with their businesses unpunished.

    “We have been approached and our services retained by the fishermen whose place of business is located along the coastal water front of the Atlantic Ocean in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

    “Our client, a conglomerate of cooperative bodies with special bias in fishing occupying the fishing settlements along the Atlantic Ocean waterfront from Okposo to Utana Ineh Ukpana and some Esuks fishing settlements along Qua Iboe river from Mkppanak to Esuk Okat and creeks all around Onna, Eket, Ibeno and part of Mbo, all in Akwa Ibom State from time immemorial have retained our services with instructions to demand and claim from your establishment, adequate loss of income/anticipated profit as a result of incessant and unquantifiable devastation suffered by all members of the association as a result of various oil spills along the coast of the Atlantic as enunciated hereinbefore.

    “We were briefed by our client that at each occurrence, they would be put out of business as the aquatic life of the Atlantic coast would be completely wiped out. In such situations, our client lamented that members would be bemused and remain redundant for the period of the effect of devastation. It is our further mandate to put the machinery of justice in motion where their demand are not acceded to,” he added.

     

  • Trade ministry workers protest non-payment of salaries, allowances

    Workers in the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment last week protested in Abuja the non-payment of their salaries and allowances, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to do something.

    After many months of bottled up annoyance and frustration, the workers marched and danced to the beating of drums.

    The workers under the aegis of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria Association of the Ministry took to the street in protest, singing and also dancing.

    Addressing reporters during the protest, the Secretary of the workers’ union, Comrade Alimi Olanrewaju, alleged that the Minister has turned the ministry into a private business.

    He said: “The protest may not be unconnected with the affairs of the ministry. Our minister has absconded from the ministry on notice. He is operating from Bank of Industry (BoI) in Abuja. For the past three to four months, he has been operating from an unknown office, which is why we are here to register our displeasure about his attitude and that of the Permanent Secretary of the ministry in relation to our welfare.

    “We are here to demand for our outstanding arrears and other benefits. Nobody has been trained in connection to money allocated to the ministry; there is serious infrastructural decay in the ministry, the ministry building is an eyesore, the minister is spending hundreds of millions to call for foreign investors that have not yielded any benefit to the country. “

    Reacting, a source from the ministry, who pleaded anonymity, stated that there was no protest . He said contrary to what was shown on television and carried by some papers, there was no protest, but mere gang-up.

  • Unions to tackle airlines over expatriate quota

    The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, (NAAPE), the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff of Nigeria, (ATSSSAN) are ready to partner to tackle some operators over abuse of expatriate quota.

    They have also threatened to deal with indigenous airlines that disallowed their members from unionising, adding that such tactics was a ploy to enslave their workers.

    Speaking at the 13th National Delegates Conference and Symposium in Abuja with the theme, Safety and the balance sheet – Striking a balance,’ the President of NAAPE, Mr Isaac Balami, decried the situation where the sector had been taken over by foreigners, while its members remain jobless.

    Balami observed that the use of expatriates had drained the resources of the sector while foreign maintenance organisations are gradually taking a centre stage in the industry even when the country has local capacity.

    He said jets and helicopters are being flown and maintained up to C-check and D-check by Nigerian pilots and engineers in Aero, Bristow and Caverton Helicopters among others.

    He said: “What is more, we observe a large resort to the use of expensive expatriates and foreign maintenance organisations. That is why there is no basis whatsoever for investors to use Nigeria’s money to support the economics of other countries through bogey expatriate deals.

    “Abuse in expatriate quota regime means that there are Nigerian pilots and engineers roaming the streets because foreigners have taken the jobs they are qualified to do. There are huge disparities between salaries paid to Nigerians and that paid to foreigners, which makes Nigerian pilots and engineers second class in their own country,” he said.

    The NAAPE boss further hinted that the unions were already perfecting plans to picket airlines that prevented their workers from joining union activities, saying that there was no going back on this.

    Minister of Aviation, Mrs Stella Oduah, noted that the aviation industry is witnessing robust and momentous transformation not only in the renewal of infrastructure and facilities, but also in the area of safety, service delivery and passenger comfort and satisfaction.

  • Labour to Fed Govt: embrace dialogue

    The President-General of Trade Union Congress (TUC),Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, has warned the Federal Government of a revolution in the country if it fails to embrace social dialogue.

    He stressed the need for partnership among the three tiers of governments to address problems of the nation.

    He also said the three tiers of government must work together to pursue the ongoing Federal Government’s transformation agenda so that its effects would rub off on the economy

    Speaking with reporters in Lagos, Comrade Bobboi urged the nation’s leaders to resolve their differences and work towards good governance, or risk an imminent revolution in the country. When it happens, he warned, the leaders would be the first target of hungry Nigerians.

    He said: “Economic growth and jobs creation are the ultimate goal of the economic transformation, which forms part of the key role that government has to play in helping to address the challenges of job creation and other challenges that Nigeria faces.

    “Our position is that, Nigeria needs the enabling environment and other economic measures with an immediate impact, to help create jobs, to spur economic activity as well as preserve social stability and human dignity.

    “We are ready to be partners with the government to address the crisis, with an emphasis on decent work, promoting enterprises, good governance, investment and social justice because TUC believes in the power of universal norms and standards. Our position is that it is only by working together that we can truly achieve our goals.”

    On the passage of a bill to deregulate wages in the country, he said TUC’s position on it is claer. He said the congress was worried that the senators did not take the private sector under consideration while legislating on minimum wage.

    “They voted that the state should have a national minimum wage different from the Federal Government. It is a laughable position taken by the Senate because the senators have no regard for the private sector, widely acclaimed as the engine of growth in any economy.

    “And so, the Senate having concluded that the private sector in the economy, acclaimed to be the engine of growth should pay N5, or any amount to workers as national minimum wage while the state governments can as well pay any amount is unfortunate,” he said.

    According to him, TUC has resolved that since the essence of the National Assembly is to legislate on laws that will bring about law and order, that would enrich and not to impoverish the citizenry, or the senators have not put into consideration that the minimum wage is a bench mark, which no employer in the country should go below in their wage review and implementation, the workers in the country should be prepared to take their destiny in their hands when the time comes.

    He said: “We are more worried that the national minimum wage does not preclude the fact that the employers in the country can pay over and above the N18,000 that is prescribed in the minimum wage. And so, the TUC is not aware about how the Senate came about deregulating the minimum wage.

    “I am pretty sure that they have not done the in-depth study of the national minimum wage before taking a laughable position that is exposing them as anti-workers and Nigerians that voted for them in the 2011 general elections.

    “We only use this opportunity to advise them in the interest of good governance in the country to take a second look at the provision and allow the issue of the National minimum wage to be on the Exclusive Legislative List.”

    Comrade Kaigama said TUC would develop the capacity of the workers and give the secretariat an international status.

    “I plan to develop and improve on the TUC’s transport project that was started by (my predecessor) Comrade Peter Esele, because I said in my mission statement that other viable state capitals in the country need to benefit from the transportation services of the TUC,” he added.

  • Focus on women empowerment, CSO tells govt

    Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in collaboration with the State of the Union (SOTU) want African governments to invest more on capacity building for girl child education and women empowerment.

    They said adequate facility and policies to increase the level of girl-child education would remain an essential catalyst for greater women empowerment in the continent

    CISLAC, in partnership with SOTU, recently organised a one-day validation workshop in Lagos on the African Union (AU) Conventions, Instruments and Framework in Nigeria to articulate the level of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) involvement in Nigeria’s compliance with the conventions.

    Speaking on how the conventions and decisions of AU validation workshop would provide a platform for key CSO working on AU instruments to review, amend, recommend and validate the draft Compliance Report, CISLAC‘s Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, said there was an urgent need for implementation of laws and policies considered inimical to discouraging discrimination against women in the AU instruments in Africa countries.

    He said: “We urge African governments to invest more on capacity building for girl child education because facility and policies to increase the level of girl’s education would remain an essential catalyst for greater women empowerment in the continent.

    “We call on states governments in Nigeria to enforce the affirmative action which expands the space for greater women empowerment and participation in politics to make political parties more internally democratic and gender friendly.”

    The AU instrument, he explained further, recommended that budgetary allocation to the health sector needs to be increased to attain the 15 per cent commitment required resource allocation in addressing the per capita expenditure on health, (WHO minimum per capita health spending is $60) and develop innovative financing mechanisms in collaboration with the private sector.

    “The Federal Government need to show more commitment to the health and wellbeing of citizens of Nigeria by taking health initiatives and not leaving the health sector virtually in the hands of donor agencies,” he said.

     

     

     

  • Wogu gives NPA two weeks to settle salary arrears

    Labour and Productivity Minister, Chief Emeka Wogu, has given Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) two-week ultimatum to settle outstanding salaries and emoluments of tally clerks and onboard security men in maritime.

    The directive stemmed from an agreement reached at a stakeholders meeting convened by the government to address incessant threats and pockets of industrial unrest that occurred in the maritime sector .

    The union had, in a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan, alleged that NPA’s continuous indebtedness to the maritime workers had become unbearable. It lamented that the parastatal’s management spends about N300 million monthly to pay illegal employees known as cargo surveyors, who they described as layabouts.

    The labour minister had summoned the management of NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and other stakeholders to a meeting in Abuja to ascertain the causes of the ripples in the sector and how to avert the planned strike.

    Before the meeting, the union threatened to shut down the nation’s ports to protest unpaid salary arrears of members.

    President of the union, Anthony Nted, said the union decided to suspend the industrial action at the end of the stakeholders’ meeting presided over by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Iloh.

    He said the stakeholders would reconvene to agree on when the payment would commence.

    “At the end of the meeting, it was resolved that the NPA would need two weeks to receive inputs from the ports, determine the cost implications of the payment of arrears, interface with the managing director of NPA and work out the modalities for payments accordingly.

    “The meeting also noted the issues of the non-payment of salaries to tally clerks and on-board security men in different parts of the country and the statement by the executive director, NPA, on the insufficiency of the national budget for NPA for that purpose.

    “Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity stressed the need to redress all issues pertaining to the payment of salaries where relevant and arrears of the agreed increment,” Nted said.

     

  • Over 3,000 benefit from SURE-P, says Wogu

    NO fewer than 3,000 people have benefited from the Community Services Women and Youth Employment (CSWYE) Programme, a project of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment programme (SURE-P), the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, has said.

    He spoke in Kaduna when he visited the state Governor Mukhtar Yero and the Emir of Zauzau, Alhaji Sheu Idris.

    He said the beneficiaries include 2,200 males, 800 females, and 488 persons with disabilities.

    He said: “These beneficiaries have received their monthly stipends up to June 2013, to the tune of N119 million, which, added to the running cost remitted to the state implementation unit for the project, sums up to N159 million so far.

    ‘’In the Northwest, a total of 21,000 women, youths and persons with disabilities are benefitting from the project and a total of N929 million has been spent in the geo-political zone from on this project alone

    “The programme is a laudable social security intervention by the Federal Government, the first if its kind in the history of Nigeria. Kaduna is among the few states, who have received stipends up to June 2013.”

    Wogu said the project was designed with unique features that ensure direct impact on these members of the society, who form the majority of the poor, unskilled and unemployed Nigerians, by transferring parts of the wealth saved from the partial removal of oil subsidy directly to them seamlessly, thereby empowering them economically.

    He said the ministry was ready to explore areas of possible partnerships between the Federal, state and local government.

    He also said: ”Another purpose for this visit is to explore areas of possible partnerships between the Federal, State and Local Governments on the Community Services, Women and Youths Employment CSWYE, SURE-P project in tackling the hydra-headed problems of unemployment.

    “Their potentials could be harnessed in other areas of development within the state like skills-for-jobs in marketable areas, preferably related to the type of services they were engaged in during their participation in this project. Our technical team, under the Kaduna State and other Northwest states in the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) would be available to work with your team on any of these suggested areas for collaboration on this laudable project.”

    Responding, Governor Yero said the state was much aware of the Federal Government’s efforts at creating jobs and reducing the poverty through the programme.

    He said: “There is the need for the Federal Government, states and local governments to have a kind of synergy so that there will be a programme in such a way that it would transform the life of the people at the same time.

    “It is going to be very important even if it is one aspect that we would sit down and agree. And I would like to advise that we look at the issue of empowerment very seriously.

    “We have initial challenge when some people complained that they have been working but not paid. We report to the state co-ordinators and I am happy the money was paid. I am happy to hear today that in Kaduna State, all the beneficiaries have been paid till June. We, in Kaduna State, are able to key into the programme on time, as the minister has attested to it. When the issue came up, the coordinator for Kaduna State and the three zonal coordinators in the state met to know the activities of the SURE-P.

    “But one thing that is very critical is sustainability because once it is sustained and there is prompt payment, people will be encouraged to continue doing what they are surposed to do. It will also help in creating opportunity that people have what they are doing and will not be involved in something that will create crisis. But if it is not sustained, there is going to be serious problem. We must, therefore, face the issue of sustainability and focus it, so that through SURE-P projects, the people trained will be able to sustain themselves and the programme will be sustained.’’

    On empowerment, he said the government needs to train some people before they can be given incentives and to start their business with.

    The Emir of Zauzau , Alhaji Sheu Idris, said in a civilised society, it is only dialogue that will promote unity and understanding to encourage unity. He commended the minister for taking such step.

    He said: ”In our own side here, I want to reaffirm to our honourable minister that we are doing everything possible to enlighten our people. After the deliberation, we will online to enlighten our people, especially people from rural areas who are always having a lot of hopes. My only appeal to all of you that you don’t hesitate in your efforts to continue doing what you are doing. I know it is not easy, sometimes you will be criticised, but it doesn’t matter, you have to continue in that way.

    “Whatever we do, we must have consideration to promote unit throughout the nation, and dedication to duties is most important. We do hope that you find the best way to encourage dedication to duties, that is through giving due promotion to the right people, giving the right thing to the right people at the right time. If that is done, I am sure you will find the job much easier.’’

     

  • NICO trains workers

    The Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Dr. Barclays Ayakokoma, has said the organisation is keen on making workers in the cultural sector more responsive and effective.

    He stated this during the opening of a workshop titled: Repositioning cultural workers for improved productivity, organised for staff of the ministry in Koroduma, Nasarawa State.

    He explained that the training would enable the staff to appreciate better the relevance of the sector in national development and reposition it towards revenue generation for the country.

    He said the training was a platform for his staff to refresh their minds and attune with trends in cultural application.

    ‘’As you know very well that if a person is not receiving regular training, he might get rust.

    “This is the first edition of the repositioning workshop organised for staff of the ministry, we believe that it would be done either quarterly or annually,”he added.

    Ayakoroma said NICO is discussing with states on the programme is concerned and would organise one in Lagos where workers of the various state cultural agency would participate.

    He added that as the training arm of the ministry, NICO was working towards special packages to organise such training in some states.