The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Ngige decries low productivity, competitiveness

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said despite the country‘s huge  human and natural resources, it  lags behind smaller and less-endowed African countries in productivity and competitiveness.

    Ngige stated this at a briefing ahead of  the 17th National Productivity Day and National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) awards scheduled for  Abuja.

    The minister said for the country to achieve high productivity and competitiveness, there was the need to bridge the productivity and competitiveness gap.

    He said: “So, real competitiveness means the ability to produce goods and services that can compete in the domestic and international markets while promoting and maintaining a high living standard and quality of life for the people.

    “Therefore, only nations with organisations that have high levels of productivity will become domestically and globally competitive.

    “This has the capacity to exploit existing market opportunities to sustain and expand employment and real income growth in the long term,’’ he said.

    He said the government was conscious of the critical place of productivity in the realisation of the change agenda, saying it was against this backdrop that the Federal Government, through the National Policy on Productivity, declared that a day shall be observed as the National Productivity Day yearly.

    Ngige said the observance of the day and the conferment of the award was a positive step by the government to institutionalise productivity consciousness and excellence in service among workers and organisations in Nigeria.

    He said the award committee was an independent committee that conducted a screening, recommended 15 individuals and five organisations drawn from all sector of the economy.

    Ngige said the awardees include:  Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Sam Ohuabunwa, Dr Abdul Husseni, Farm Crowdy Nigeria Limited and Fresh Direct Nigeria.

    Also, National Productivity Centre (NPC) Director-General Kashim Akor said selection of the awardees was done by a committee set up for the purpose of the nomination.

  • 24m jobs coming in Greener economy

    Twenty-four million new jobs will be created worldwide by 2030 if the right policies to promote a greener economy are put in place, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said.

    According to the report of the global labour watch body, tagged “World employment and social outlook, 2018: Greening with jobs,” action to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius will result in sufficient job creation to more than offset job losses of six million.

    The report noted that new jobs would be created by adopting sustainable practices in the energy sector, including changes in the energy mix, promoting the use of electric vehicles and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

    Ecosystem services – including air and water purification soil renewal and fertilisation, pest control, pollination and protection against extreme weather conditions – sustain, farming, fishing, forestry and tourism, which employ 1.2 billion workers.

    But projected temperature increases will make heat stress, particularly in agriculture, more common. It can lead to several medical conditions, including exhaustion and stroke, the report indicated.

    It calculates that heat stress will cause a two percent global loss in hours worked by 2030 due to sickness.

    ILO Deputy Director-General, Deborah Greenfield said: “The findings of our report underline that jobs rely heavily on a healthy environment and the services that it provides. The green economy can enable millions more people to overcome poverty, and deliver improved livelihoods for this and future generations, saying “this is a very positive message of opportunity in a world of complex choices.”

    At the regional level, the report indicated, there will be net job creation in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific and Europe, representing some three million, 14 million and two million jobs, resulting from measures taken in the production and use of energy.

    In contrast, there could be net job losses in the Middle East (-0.48 per cent) and Africa (-0.04 per cent) if current trends continue, due to the dependence of these regions on fossil fuel and mining.

  • Labour rejects cut in contract service period

    THE National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have rejected the Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), reducing contract service duration to six months.

    NUPENG and PENGASSAN lamented that the jobs which used to be carried out on permanent basis, have been converted to three-year service contract, and the NCDMB which should protect Nigerians against international oil companies (IOCs) has decided to sell Nigerian workers into slavery.

    In a statement, PENGASSAN President Comrade Francis Johnson and NUPENG’s General-Secretary Lumumba  Okugbawa said the unions  would resist the implementation of the agreement, calling for the abrogation of the agreement in the interest of industrial peace.

    “The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), read with rude shock and total dismay, the purported Service Level Agreement (SLA) reached between the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) and therefore, condemned it in its entirety and see the SLA as an unwholesome act,”the statement said, pointing out that it is ridiculous and unfortunate that “the NCDMB allowed desperate OPTS to arm-twist it into making mockery of the key thrust of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010, vis-a-vis maximising participation of Nigerians in the Oil and Gas activities, as well as maximising the utilisation capacity of Nigerian resources, i.e. goods, services and assets.

    “The unions wonder what sort of maximisation of Nigeria’s participation in the Oil and Gas businesses will arise from the reduction of the contract circle to a mere six months duration,” they said,  saying in the statement, that the SLA, “will lead to further impoverishment of indigenous contractors and workers in the oil and gas industry. We are very sure that the prevailing indecent and precarious work condition in the Industry will further be accentuated by the reduction of contract circle to six  months duration.  A situation which this injurious Agreement signed on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 sought to champion, and which is nothing short of slave-labour in our opinion.”

    The unions said the agreement would not deepen the skill acquisition and expertise of Nigerians because of IOCs and indigenous oil companies that may want to exploit such agreement for their pecuniary advantage. They pointed out that any agreement that failed to address decent and sustainable jobs for Nigerians in the oil and gas industry would be resisted in whatever guise they appear.

    The unions said it was unfortunate that the views and opinions of unions in the industry were “not regarded worthy of consideration in the course of work of the NCDMB, yet the Board was specifically set up by law for the reason of maximising decent and sustainable participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry.”

    “With humility and without sounding disputatious or belligerent, NUPENG and PENGASSAN however call on all relevant stakeholders involved in this Agreement to immediately have a rethink of their decision in the overall interest of Nigeria,” the unions said.

  • PENGASSAN hails Reps’ decision on NLNG

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has praised the House of Representatives’ decision on the proposed sale of the Federal Government’s shares in Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG).

    PENGASSAN National Public Relations Officer Comrade Fortune Obi said the government should retain its share ownership in the company.

    He described the NLNG model as  the best option, saying it should be replicated in other government failed ventures, such as the refineries and others.

    According to Obi, NLNG is one of the most-successful ventures that Nigeria has embarked upon since its inception.

    He noted that the losses that would accrue from the sale of the NLNG far outweighed its gains; adding that the rather than selling the asset, there are other options the government could adopt to resuscitate the economy.

    The PENGASSAN spokesperson said about 18,000 jobs would be affected if the proposed plan were carried out, adding that the government should explore other options to fund the economy rather than selling a viable company like NLNG, which dividends were used to kick-start and finance the economy when Nigeria was in recession.

    “NLNG has bailed out Nigeria when the country was in recession as proceeds from its dividends were used to finance the economy. Those investors who were clamouring for the FG to sale her shares in NLNG should find another means of injecting their resources into the economy instead of buying a successful company.

    “In the alternative, they should set up their own LNG project and help the country in utilising its large gas reserves as well as eradicating gas flaring in the country,” he said.

  • Declare emergency on roads, NUPENG advises Fed Govt

    The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on roads. The measure, it said, would end carnage on them and ease road transportation.

    NUPENG President Comrade Williams Akporeha, made the call during the fourth Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Branch of NUPENG in Abuja.

    He said: “We know the present regime has been working hard to properly fix our highways, yet, a lot still have to be done. In the light of this, we earnestly call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on Nigerian roads to attract urgent and attention, as no economy thrives without good roads and effective transportation system.”

    On the state of NUPENG, Akporeha said: “As you are also aware that the strength of any trade union organisation is in the numerical number of its membership, our recruitment and operational activities will be geared toward organising more members into the union.

    “Aside increasing the membership strength of the union, it is also in our plan of action to diversify and increase the number of sources of income for the union.

    “We plan to leverage our strength and opportunities in the downstream sector to achieve these, by providing key services in the industry, such as having mega filling stations across the country and building ultra-modern petroleum tanker parks in every zone of the union.

    “We have all these noble and lofty ideas and dreams; it is our firm belief, that with the unrelenting support of petroleum tanker drivers, they are achievable within the time lines we set.’’

    He continued: “We urge you to continue to support us as we promise to run a union that is accountable, transparent and have high regards for members and branches. The theme of this conference is very apt and topical because, as you already know, road is one of the major working conditions for every tanker driver.

    “An average petroleum tanker driver, who is actively on the wheel, spends most parts of his working life on the road traversing from one loading location to several discharging locations, all to get the economy of our nation going. His safety, health, prosperity, promotion, effectiveness and even life-expectancy depend almost on the state of road infrastructure,” Akporeha added.

  • NECA frowns at ‘late passage’ of Budget 2018

    THE late passage of the budget  shows that Nigeria is not serious, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has said.

    NECA Director-General Mr. Segun Oshinowo said in Lagos that the development could drag the nation into a state of inertia.

    He said: “It appears to have become a tradition in this democratic dispensation for the budget to be unduly delayed, thereby plunging the economy into a state of inertia, particularly in the first quarter of the year.

    “This is chiefly because the delay in the passage of the budget would make implementation of the capital expenditure component of the budget for the year an uphill task and these capital expenditure components are needed for sustainable economic growth as against our present growth rate that is premised on improved oil production and increase in crude oil prices in the international market.”

    Oshinowo described the budget as a vital compass expected to give stakeholders information on the likely flow of the economy as well as income and expenditure in a given year.

    He said the budget is an indicator that helps domestic and foreign investors and businesses to plan their economic activities, decisions, projects and expenditures for the year.

    He noted that while Nigeria might be said to be out of recession, as long as the economy is still tied to the apron strings of irrational global oil prices and the country is unable to shore up the foreign reserves significantly, it will take a while to really come out of recession.

    Oshinowo said Nigeria had done well by ratifying the ILO Convention on Child Labour.

    “But, beyond that, we need to domesticate this convention that we have ratified and then declare in our mind what the implementation strategy should be, and I think that is where the problem is. Over the years, with the support of the ILO, quite a number of initiatives have been commenced in Nigeria to reduce child labour.

    “As an employers’ group, we served on the tripartite committee, which the Ministry of Labour has set up to be on top of this matter.

    “Though we cannot acknowledge  various challenges we have in trying to reduce the incidence of child labour, unlike the developed world, where the formal economy is larger than the informal economy, in our own case, the informal economy is much larger than the formal and you have the incidence of child labour being more persevative in the informal sector of the economy.

    “Unfortunately, the workers’ organisations are shunning the insignificant figure in extending its tentacles to the informal sector, neither has the ministry of labour been able to actually spread its inspectorate machinery to really be on top of the situation.”

  • ILO tackles Nigeria over gender rule

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is not happy with Nigeria for not adhering to its policy of fair gender representation in delegations attending its conference (ILC), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president Comrade Ayuba Wabba has said.

    The organisation insists on a minimum of 30 percent women representation in delegations to its yearly conference.

    Wabba, who spoke at the national preparatory meeting for the ILC, said had given Nigeria until the next conference to comply with its representation rule.

    He said: “From next session, the issue of gender representation will be top most. It was an issue that was discussed at the last governing board meeting and was agreed that the minimum acceptable will be 30 percent women representation. We are working towards equal representation.

    “They said that Nigeria is a country that has not respected that provision. From next year, the governing board has made it mandatory that all the delegations, both workers, employers and the government must reflect this very sensitive issue of gender representation. Many countries have actually exceeded that provision.”

    Wabba said the meeting was important as it enables Nigeria’s delegation discuss and take a position on issues during the conference, especially as it relates to the sustainable development goal which deals with decent work and the future of work.

    He said Nigeria had the largest delegation to the ILC.

    “I think that it is important that we are able to fit into the ILC system where we work and participate in various committees.

    “Participating in this meeting in the last two years has enriched ours, but we can do better. Many of our delegates participated in committee meetings last year, but not up to half of our delegation, but the participation has been very helpful. Even though we have gained some mileage, we can do better.

    “Nigeria is going as a delegation, so, the image of all of us and the constituents we represent is very key because whatever happens, Nigeria is the country that will be referred to and not the constituents. So, we should try to project our country and Organisation in a better light and our contributions must be positive and address those clear issues that the country will be out to address.

    “The first week of the conference is essentially about the work of the various committees and decisions will be taken in the second week. So, let us know where we can make impact because where preparations are made and decision to be taken and we are no where to be found, it does not portray us as people that are serious.”

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige said Nigeria’s active participation at the 107th session of ILC is crucial based on the import of items lined up for discussion at the conference, which cut across key aspects of labour administration.

    He said It is expedient for Nigeria to develop and articulate interventions that would make meaningful and positive impact on deliberations and decisions that will be taken at the Conference, adding that the ability to arrive at common ground on all interventions  will go a long way to ensure a successful outing for Nigeria.

    He made reference to the technical items placed on the agenda by the governing board which include effective ILO development corporation in support of the sustainable development goals, violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work, among others

    ILO Country Director, Dennis Zulu said Nigeria occupies a significant position in the global body, especially as a member of its governing board and challenges Nigeria’s delegation to consider views from other African countries.

    He said the first ILO office to be established on the continent was  in Lagos in 1957, an indication of the importance the organisation attached to Nigeria and its participation at the conference.

     

  • ‘Global youth unemployment hits 66m amid rising poverty’

    Global youth unemployment figure has risen to 66 million and nearly 145 million youths who are working live in abject poverty, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said.

    The ILO revealed this at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, during  a conference on innovations for decent jobs for youths.

    The event provided a platform for governments, social partners, youth and civil society, private sector, foundations, United Nations entities and beyond to explore collaboration on innovations that work for decent jobs for youth under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    In a statement, the ILO said modern labour markets were identified as tough places for job seekers, as many feel the pressure to accept the first job offer they get, often without considering if the working conditions put their health and safety at risk.

    It stated that this is a problem, since young workers suffer from injury and illness on the job at far higher rates than their adult counterparts.

    The statement added: “Poor occupational safety and health practices cost an estimated four per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year, translating to $3 trillion. While these estimates are based primarily on the economic cost to businesses and government, when a young worker is injured, years of productivity are lost along with the investment in education and training.’’

    It continued; “In 2014, 374 million workers globally suffered non-fatal occupational injuries. The high rate of injury among young people is of particular concern, as one accident can destroy a life and a lifetime of career opportunities, earnings potential and general well-being.

    “To improve the safety and health of young workers, empowering young people to take action to protect themselves and their peers at work should be at the heart of strategies while youth occupational safety and health champions can act as international spokespeople for better safety and health and bring much-needed creativity, energy and commitment to the table.

    ‘’Young people are also advised that since they understand the realities of their working lives better than anyone, their voices and ideas should be central to efforts to guarantee their safety and health at work.’’

  • New wage: Fresh demands may threaten early execution

    The Federal Government’s promise to implement the new minimum wage in the third quarter of the year may face further hurdles as labour introduces a fresh angle into the process, writes TOBA AGBOOLA.

    The excitement over the likely implementation of the new minimum wage in September may wear out in the next few weeks as labour moves to review the process to align with economic realities.

    Organised labour said it was presenting fresh demands to the Federal Government Tripartite Committee using economic indices.

    Labour is demanding N66,500 as the new minimum wage.

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) General Secretary Dr Peter Ozo-Eson said: “We have taken a position when we made the initial demand on the government, which is almost two years back.

    “But then, when we got to the tripartite committee and the committee called on all stakeholders to submit memorandum.

    “In response to the request for a memorandum, we then use current economic indices to make a fresh demand. So, what we place and what we demand is an outcome of analysis we carried out.’’

    He noted that the fresh demand was a joint memorandum by the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

    From labour’s position, it is obvious that the third quarter of implementation of the new wage may not be feasible if the committee decides to look into the new recommendation.There are fears that it is also likely to provide room for the government to further delay the new wage, which it has reluctantly approved.

    Although the new wage is yet to be announced, a member of the committee disclosed during an interaction that the committee was not likely to pick either of the wages put forward by labour.

    According to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, “Minimum wage is a national matter and only the Federal Government can legislate on it. Labour matter and the issue of national minimum wage are in the Exclusive List. President Buhari is monitoring it strictly, and I am monitoring it too.’’

    Apart from the anticipated hitches from fresh demands, there are also fears that the delay in the passage of 2018 budget by the National Assembly might delay the process and possibly push it further into 2019’s.

    The apprehension stems from the fact that while inaugurating the committee, Buhari said after the completion of the work of the committee, an executive bill would be sent to the National Assembly “to undergo scrutiny before being passed into law”.

    Medical and Health Workers Union President, Mr Biobelemoye Joshua, said the organisation would not allow the government to use the minimum wage issue to score political point.

    He said if the government employed delay tactics for any reason, labor would waste no time in reacting. Having expressed satisfaction over the government’s position, the Pres1ident of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, believes that the implementation of the process would go a long way in filling the gaps workers had lost in the past.

    Wabba said the inauguration of the new minimum wage committee was overdue, stressing that the committee should cover the times that had been lost.

    “This is something that workers have long anticipated and our expectation is that we want a speedy process now that the facts of the issues are very obvious.

    United Labour Congress (ULC) President, Comrade  Joe Ajaero reiterated the need to increase the National Minimum wage for workers for them to cater for their family welfare.

    Ajaero, however, pointed out that the wage increase should not be delayed because there was no provision in the 2018 budget.

    Ajaero urged the government to expedite action so that the report of the committee can be submitted for passage into law.

    “Nigerian workers have suffered enormously and we hope that the wage floor eventually agreed will lift Nigerians out of poverty and make the life better.The government should not play politics with this.

    “However, ULC calls all Nigerians to be vigilant as we negotiate this process. We did not get to this level by charity, but by struggle. We can only conclude it favourably by being ready at all times to defeat the forces of wickedness that would not want workers to earn decent wages,” Ajaero added.

     

  • UNEP-EBAFOSA ‘to create 11m jobs yearly’

    The United Nations Environment-Ecosystem Based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly (UNEP-EBAFOSA) Nigeria has called for collaboration among major stakeholders to create 11million jobs yearly.

    Its National President, Mr James Oyesola, stated this at an inter-ministerial/agencies policy task force meeting in Abuja.

    He said key stakeholders should tackle climate change challenges to facilitate job creation in the agricultural sector.

    He said: “The key issue is that addressing climate change challenges, implementing SDGs and our nationally-determined contributions, among others, can’t be implemented in ‘silos’.

    ‘’Therefore, there is the need to bridge policy gaps by breaking inter-ministerial silos through convening policy makers in relevant line ministries of environment, agriculture, industry, energy, forestry, lands, trade, finance etc., as well as non-state actors in policy research, for collaborative policy processes.

    “Also, to catalyse investment in clean energy powered agro-industrialisation, agriculture policies will need to reconcile with industry policies, energy policies, lands policies and private investors to ensure relevant-cross cutting policies that incentivise investment by both state and non-state actors in plants and clean-processing industries near high potential agro-production areas. Infrastructure policies need to be synchronised to ensure prioritised investments in rural roads for efficient connection of production areas or these agro-industrial zones to market areas.”

    Earlier, the UN Environment Africa Climate Change Coordinator, Dr. Richard Munang, lamented the  increasing youthful and unemployed population amid untapped opportunities.

    “For every three million jobs, there are up to 12 million youths competing for them each year. Right here in Nigeria, while 1.2 million fresh people joined the pool of job seekers in just one quarter of 2017, another 1.6 million who were in full time employment lost their jobs in the same period. The implication is Nigeria may need to create up to 2.8 million jobs per quarter, which translates to about 11 million jobs each year. The implication is the urgent need to increase opportunities exponentially. Across Africa, this youth bulge has been christened a “ticking time bomb.

    ‘’Yet, these youths represent the most sovereign capital we have as a continent to tap and drive growth,” he explained.