The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Medview airline’s debut brings jobs

    Medview airline’s debut brings jobs

    About 225 new jobs have been created by Medview Airline, one of the country’s official hajj pilgrims carriers.

    Jobs created by the airline include those of pilots, about 16 cabin crew, ground officers, as well as ticketing staff.

    Arrangements have been concluded for the commencement of scheduled flights to four routes, namely Lagos-Abuja, Abuja-Port Harcourt, Maiduguri-Yola and Lagos-Port Harcourt.

    The Managing Director/CEO, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, stated this in Lagos while receiving officials of the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

    Alhaji Bankole, said the company is venturing into domestic operations so as to alleviate the plight of the local travellers. He stated that a Boeing 737-400 has been sourced to enable the company begin operation, adding that the inspection unit of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has concluded the inspection of the aircraft and approved them for operations in the country.

    “We have undergone the necessary inspections as stipulated by NCAA, but I can tell you categorically that we will start very soon.”

    Bankole promised that one of the unique selling points of the airline would be on- time departure and adherence to the safety rules of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and NCA.

    He said that the company has been known for keeping to time in its handling of hajj affairs in the country.

    “The coming of Med-View airline into the scene of Hajj operations in year 2007 shortly after its incorporation, changed the whole concept of pilgrims airlifting in Nigeria. The marshalling of the operational plans in a professional way, coupled with resourceful and dedicated team of workers, served as a pivot on which this new Airline’s tremendous success rests.

     

  • NUPENG seeks govt’s assistance for flood victims

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called on the Federal Government to quickly come to the aid of victims affected by the floods ravaging parts of the country.

    In a statement signed by the Acting General Secretary, Comrade Isaac O. Aberare, the union advised that a state of emergency should be declared in the affected communities, while relief materials and temporary abode be made available to them.

    The union added that a supplementary budget to assist the flood victims should be sent to the National Assembly for approval to provide succour for the affected people and their communities.

    The union commiserated with the families of those who lost lives in the floods. It also warned that state governments should desist from allocating and allowing buildings to be erected in flood-prone areas; especially around the river banks.

    It called on the Federal and state governments to, as a matter of urgency dispatch medical teams to the areas to avert epidemic and diseases from ravaging the communities.

    NUPENG re-iterated that the three tiers of government must begin to enlighten the populace on global warming or climate change, which is partly responsible for the upsurge. The union added that agencies of government, such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), responsible for providing assistance to the affected people, should be alive to their responsibilities.

    NUPENG stated that adequate forecast should be made available as to the extent of such damages when waters are released from dams to make people move before they are trapped as it is done in advanced countries.

    Towards ameliorating the sufferings of the affected people, the union called on the Federal Government to assist the affected states with funds.

    It called for better ways to channel excess water from dams and to collaborate through a joint commission with the Republic of Cameroun where the excess water was first released.

     

  • Ogun pays N1.6b pension to local govt retirees

    Ogun pays N1.6b pension to local govt retirees

    The Ogun Bureau of Local Government Pensions said it has disbursed N1.6 billion as monthly pensions patment to retired local government and primary school workers.

    The Permanent Secretary of the Bureau, Alhaji Ade Momodu, said this last week during an oversight visit by members of the Ogun House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

    Momodu said the money was paid between January and September, adding that the money was paid from the monthly allocation the bureau received from the Joint Allocation Account Committee (JAAC).

    “The bureau has also paid N643.3 million as gratuities to retired local government staff, as well as primary school teaching and non teaching staff between January and September 2012.

    “This was paid from the state’s grant to Local Government Staff Pension Fund and the balance of statutory allocation from (JAAC) after monthly pension would have been paid,’’ he said.

    On the new contributory pension scheme, Momodu said it was introduced to remedy the shortcomings of the old scheme, explaining that a 7.5 per cent deduction is expected to be made from the salaries of all serving officers, while another 7.5 per cent of each officer is expected to be contributed by their employers.

    He said the bureau received 15 per cent deduction of the salaries of primary school teaching and non-teaching staff directly from Joint Allocation Account Committee on monthly basis.

    “The local governments are required to remit their own deductions directly to their pension fund administrators,’’ Momodu said.

    The Committee’s chairman praised the bureau for carrying out its assignment, saying, “I think you have done a good job, but l still want you to always make the collection of pensions easy for the retired local government officers, the primary school teaching and non-teaching staff,’’ Oluomo said.

  • Gombe to employ 3,000 teachers

    Gombe State has said it would recruit about 3,000 graduate teachers to improve the standard of education in the state within the next three years.

    Commissioner for Education, Mrs Aishatu Mohammed, told The Nation that 1,000 of the teachers would be employed yearly.

    Mrs Mohammed also said Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo’s intervention in the education sector has started yielding fruitful results.

    She said this showed in the state’s performance in national examinations.

    “This time, we have 906 candidates who passed with five credits, including English and Mathematics, in the recent West African Examinations Council (WAEC) results.

    “You will recall that only 18 candidates passed with five credits, including English and Mathematics in 2011.

    “This development is indicative of more successes in the education sector soon,’’ the commissioner said.

    Mrs Mohammed said the result was also an indication that funds totalling over N6.5 billion spent on education by the state government were not wasted.

    “These were invested in the reconstruction of classrooms and the purchase of instruction materials, and that is why the sector will still witness more success stories,’’ she said.

     

  • Imo teachers undergo special training

    The Imo State Universal Basic Education Board has embarked on a 10-day train-the-trainer workshop for its teachers.

    The workshop entitled Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education (SMASE), is aimed at training core teachers who would implement the programme in their respective schools.

    The desk officer coordinating the programme, Mrs Vivian Owunna, told The Nation that the focus of the exercise was to change the attitude of the teachers in mathematics and science subjects.

    “We are trying to train the teachers here on ways to teach their students how to relate mathematics and scientific concepts to their daily lives. The teachers trained here by the national trainers will continue this training in their local government areas so that every school will benefit,” Owunna said.

    One of the trainers in chemistry, Mr Joseph Onimisi, said the training was a customised contextual course meant to enhance teaching of mathematics and sciences in schools.

    “This will teach them content mastery; we encourage them to bring out the topics students find hard to grasp and we teach them a more practical approach to make teaching easier,” he said.

    “The trainers have all gone on these customised courses sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, either in Malaysia or the Philippines, at the Asian regional educational centre.

     

  • Labour praises Senate on Labour Safety bill

    Labour praises Senate on Labour Safety bill

    Workers in the food and beverage sector have praised the Senate for passing a bill seeking to cater for the safety, health and welfare of Nigerian workers.

    The workers under the aegis of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), who spoke through their President, Comrade Lateef Oyelekan, said the passage was a welcome development.

    The Bill, which was sponsored by Senator Chris Anyanwu (APGA-Imo), was passed last week.

    It seeks to repeal and re-enact the Factory Act, 2004 to make comprehensive provisions for securing the safety, health and welfare of persons at work.

    It also seeks to protect others against risks to safety and health with regards to activities of persons at work, in addition to  establishing  the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.

    Oyelekan told The Nation that “these are the types of document that law makers should endorse to make work easier for Nigerians. Many employers don’t give a damn what happens to their workers, for such employers, one needs a legal document to put them on track.”

    The amended bill  contains  111 clauses and clause 83  deals with offences and penalties.

    It reads in part; “Any employer who fails to comply with any of the provisions of clauses 29-37 of this bill relating to the duty of the employer commits an offence.

    “The person shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than N500,000.

    “Both fine and imprisonment in case of an individual and a fine of not less than N2 million for a corporate body, and in addition, each director or manager of the body shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year.

    “Clause 31 (1)of the Bill also states that an employer shall after being notified by a female employee that she is pregnant, adapt the working conditions of the female employee in such manner as to prevent occupational exposure.

    “This is to ensure that the embryo is afforded the same level of protection as required for members of the public and the employer shall not consider the notification of pregnancy as a reason to exclude the employee from work.

    “The employer is also required by this law to ensure that any female employee that is pregnant or nursing a baby is not exposed to ionising radiation at the work place.

    On the construction and disposal of machinery, the bill in clause 52, stipulates that any person who manufactures, assemblies, sells or lets or hire any machine that does not comply with the requirement of this clause commits an offence.

    The person shall be liable to a penalty of N50,000 for the first case of non compliance and N100,000 for every subsequent case of non compliance or N50 million for the first case of non compliance and N500 million for every subsequent case.

    The Senate President, David Mark, who presided over  the plenary session, noted that the bill had already been passed in the House of Representatives.

    Mark advised that a conference committee be set up as soon as possible to harmonise the Bill and forward it to the President for his assent.

    The Bill was initially presented to the Senate as an executive bill but was represented as a private member bill by Anyanwu.

    The Bill, which had passed second reading on May 17, was referred to the joint committees on Employment, Labour and Productivity, Health and Establishment and Public Services for further legislative action.

     

  • NASU welcomes new retirement age

    Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has praised President Goodluck Jonathan for signing into law the Act that raised the retirement age of non-academic staff of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education at 65 years.

    The union’s National President, Comrade Ladi Iliya, who spoke at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Asaba, Delta State, called on the government to make the same applicable to staff of research institutes and colleges of agriculture; in line with the agreement it reached with the Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sector Unions in 2009/2010.

    He urged the government to set in motion the necessary machinery to commence negotiation of all the 2009/2010 Collective Agreement signed with the universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and teaching hospitals unions, as enshrined in the agreements.

    NASU said the government must bear in mind that it is these collective agreements that have brought peace to the educational sector. He, however, observed that once in a while, the peace is broken as a result of government’s non implementation of the agreements.

    Agreeing with government on suspension of the N5000 note, Mrs Iliya stated that the policy would only aggravate the situation of the impoverished masses, adding that what it would cost to print the notes is enough to address sensitive sectors of the economy.

    “The policy will only achieve one thing. It would make stealing easier. It is not my intention to talk about everything that touches us as workers in order not to heat up the polity, Mrs Iliya, said.

     

  • Workers lament closure of 850 firms

    Workers in the chemical and non-metallic products industry have blamed the poor state of the economy for the closure of 850 companies in the sector.

    National President of the workers under the aegis of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), Comrade Boniface Isok, said more than 850 manufacturing companies closed shop, while some are now operating below production capacity.

    “The few factories that are in operation find it difficult to sustain production as the Federal Government allowed importation of all kinds of goods, thereby turning the country into a dumping ground. The adverse effect of this action is rendering the masses jobless and at the same time, boosting the economy of other countries by creating employment opportunities in those countries.”

    Isok, who spoke in Uyo at the unions delegates conference, last week, said government’s inconsistent policies have continued to hurt the economy, adding that the manufacturing sector contributes less than four per cent to the GDP compared to other countries, such as China that contributes over 15 per cent.

    He said the government should drive employment in the country, as the unemployment rate is high. He called for the abolition of contract labour and casualisation because it is modern day slavery.

    Isok appealed to the Boundary Commission to resolve all boundary disputes, saying hundreds of lives wasted on such issues were uncalled for.

    According to him, it has become necessary to draw the attention of the Federal Government to call on the commission to live up to its responsibility.

    Isok thanked the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Godswill Akpabio on his effort at ensuring that normalcy returned to Ariam in Abia State and Esa Ikwen, Ikot Okim and Abama in Akwa Ibom State.

     

  • Unions give Air Nigeria ultimatum on staff pay

    Unions give Air Nigeria ultimatum on staff pay

    Aviation unions under the aegis of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), have issued a seven day ultimatum to the management of Air Nigeria to pay up all staff salaries, including their benefits and entitlements.

    Speaking to newsmen during a peaceful protest at the NUATE secretariat, President of NAAPE, Mr Isaac Balami David, pointed warned that if within seven days, the management of Air Nigeria fails to meet the demands of the workers, the unions would take appropriate actions against the airline.

    “We are giving the authority of Air Nigeria seven days ultimatum. If nothing happens, NAAPE will communicate to the press and tell them the next line of action that the union is going to take,” he said.

    Amongst issues Balami raised were arrears of salaries of staff not paid for four months, running from May through August 2012, and unpaid pensions, adding that the management of the airline could not just lay off its staff like that, without giving them all their entitlements before laying them off.

    “In addition to the above, Jimoh Ibrahim and Air Nigeria must immediately fulfil the following; remit to the tax office all tax deducted from staff salaries for about two years to enable the workers obtain tax certificate as required by law, remit to the staff, thrift and co-operative society all monies deducted from staff salaries with accruable interests, to enable workers access and receive their exit benefits from the society; remit to Pension Fund Administrators with accruable interest all pension deductions from staff salaries for about a year, to enable the workers access and receive their due pensions as guaranteed by law; issue a proper letter of disengagement which must contain all entitlements due to each worker, and then enclose any legal payment advice in that regard and not sack in the pages of newspapers,” the NAAPE boss stated.

    Debunking the claim of Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim that his staff were not loyal, Balami said: ” We learnt that staff in Air Nigeria were earning 50 per cent less than what other staff in other airlines are earning yet they work with their whole heart, and somebody is saying that they are not loyal, what type of loyalty does the management of Air Nigeria want? he asked. “All we are saying is that Air Nigeria should pay salaries, once you pay your salaries on time, you do the needful, your staff will be loyal,” he added.
    Also speaking during the protest, President of NUATE, Comrade Safiyanu Mohammed, said the is in support of whatever decision the union might take, if the staff were not properly taken care of and the issues at stake not resolved amicably.

    He said: ”NAAPE has given the management seven days, so you can’t expect them to pre-empt their action before the expiration of seven days. After seven days, we will now know what will happen next.”

    A staff of Air Nigeria, said the management of the airline was not been fair to them, especially after they have given all their lives working for the airline, they were been layed off on a flimzy excuse that the workers were not loyal.

    “I will like to bring one issue on ground right now, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim has been going around telling the larger society that his staff are not loyal, I have worked with two other companies before I worked with Air, and I want to tell anybody who cares to listen that this type of workers that you see here are the most loyal people in the whole world, they are hard working, they have work ethics,” he said.

  • NLC holds summit on security, peace

    NLC holds summit on security, peace

    The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, has said the congress would hold a programme geared at proffering solution to the security challenges in parts of the country.

    Tagged, ‘Labour for Unity, Peace and Development,’ Omar, said the decision to hold the summit was informed by the deteriorating security situation in the country, despite the several measures so far taken by the government to bring peace.

    In a statement , NLC said it will organise the national peace summit and rally in Abuja .

    He said assassinations, armed robberies, bombings, communal and sectarian violence, have led to painful loss of lives, massive displacements, that are interrupting productive activities, with the attendant prospect of acute food shortages, and destruction of properties estimated at billions of naira and capital flight.

    “What is more worrisome about the insecurity in the country, is the general panic in the land that calls for the dismemberment of the country largely due to concern about government’s capacity to deal with these challenges.

    “Deeply saddening, is the growing perception of tacit or complicit support for some of these horrendous crimes by some of our elders,” Omar said.
    The parley is slated for tomorow.