The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • NECA: budget passage delay is dangerous

    NECA: budget passage delay is dangerous

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has expressed displeasure over the National Assembly’s delay in the passing  the 2018 budget.

    Its President, Mr. Larry Ettah, said at the end of its Governing Council meeting in Lagos, that the development could drag the nation into a state of inertaia.

    “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.

    “In December 2016, the President presented the 2017 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly. However, the National Assembly did not pass the bill until May 11, 2017, almost six months after it was presented. We recollect that President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2018 budget to our Legislators in November 2017,” he said.

    He implored the two arms of government to mutually agree on a time frame that would ensure that the budget for the following year was passed into law before the end of every current fiscal year.

    Reacting to the Land Use Charge 2018, Ettah accused the Lagos State government of being insensitive and inhuman to corporations and residents.

    According to him, the recent amendment to the Land Use Charge Law was a classical case of insensitivity, alienation and gross disregard of the wellbeing of corporate and individual residents.

    “In reality, the new law will expect property owners in Lagos State to pay at the very minimum, a monstrous, appalling and callous increase of over 200 per cent and in some instances over 500 per cent in Land Use Charge. It is not as if the income of a property owner has gone up significantly to justify this outrageous law,” Ettah said.

    Moreso, he argued that the real estate sector had continued to wallow in deep recession with high vacancy rates.

    “How on earth would any decent authority increase taxes overnight by over 200 to 500 per cent when in reality government should be doing more to stimulate the sector to come out of recession? To compound matters, there is a repugnant and odious penalty payment ranging between 125-200 per cent, if payment is not made between April and August,” he said.

    He said the Organised Private Sector (OPS) found the law intolerable and brutish, adding that the OPS would do everything legal and legitimate, including social resistance to challenge the unfair and unjustifiable law.

    “We put Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on notice that this law in its current form is not acceptable and the OPS will fight this law by social resistance and any other legitimate means at its disposal to get the government to ameliorate the harsh impact of the abhorrent law on residents.

    ”We believe in the context of a democracy that it is important that truth is spoken to power. We hope the government will not be obdurate and see reason as to why this law is unfair,” he said.

    The NECA boss, who commended the government for the constitution and re-constitution of some boards of parastatals and agencies, is, however, worried over the lateness and non-reconstitution of some other boards, which, he said, portends danger for good governance and a negative image for the country.

  • NLC at 40: So far, so good

    NLC at 40: So far, so good

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is 40. It rolled out the drums to mark the anniversary. Its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and some of his predecessors have been speaking on how the Congress will remain relevant in fighting  workers’ cause and holding those in power accountable. TOBA AGBOOLA reports

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has clocked 40 having been established in 1978. To mark the anniversary, it began a five-day event on Monday at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

    At the event, past and present presidents, secretaries and other officials, including workers relived some of the sad and happy moments of NLC.

    It was a journey down memory lane as speaker after speaker took turns to reminisce. Not only that, the celebration offered a platform for the Congress to address the challenges facing workers and chart a new course for Labour movement.

    First to mount the podium was its former President, Adams Oshiomhole, who also  chaired the occasion. To him, the NLC has every reason to be happy with and celebrate its existence in the past 40 years.

    He said the pioneer President, Alhaji Hassan Sumonu, laid a solid foundation for the labour movement. He said but for Sumonu, the labour movement would not be where it is.

    Speaking on the delay in the emergence of a new national minimum wage, Oshiomhole insisted that what determines the quality of workers is not only the wages, but also the trust in the leadership that their interest is protected.

    He called on the leadership of the Congress and other labour movements to not only improve on the skills of negotiation, but also strive to acquire political power.

    NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, in a keynote address, said the NLC wanted to opportunity provided by the occasion to engage in self-examination of the past, the present and project into the future.

    “We need to celebrate our modest achievements and learn from our mistakes. We need to know if we have adhered to or deviated from the fundamental principles of our organisation. In celebrating these achievements, we need to think of ways of reinvigorating, revitalising and transforming the organisation to a formidable one that can stand the test of time,” Wabba said.

    He traced NLC history to 1974, following the Apena Cementary Declaration, where the leaders of the then four labour federations agreed to bury their political and ideological differences in favour of the formation of a united labour organisation called the NLC.

    According to Wabba, “the understanding was implemented in 1975. But this development in the labour movement ran counter to the thinking of the then military regime of General Murtala Muhammed, who became uncomfortable with the remarkable achievement of the movement for the amiable resolution of differences within the working class movement. This auto-transformation of the movement outside the framework of government meant the growth of an organisation, which she will not be able to control”.

    “Since our formation in 1973, we believe that the NLC has lived up to its mandate as a trade movement which is, the protection and defense of its members. We have also tried to play the role of an advocate for Nigerians, who demand that the economy of the country iproves and that politics is designed and practiced in order to contribute to the development of the country and its citizens.’’

    Wabba said NLC’s struggles have been shaped by the continued division within the political and economic elite, which has delayed national development and harmed the material condition of citizens; massive looting of state resources by the political elite and its deployment in personal consumption.

    He also said the polical elite had been hiding the balances in secret locations around the world, including the absence of formidable opposition political parties, which   drew the labour movement into contentious battles with the states.

    The announcement by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, that the Federal Government will announce a new national minimum wage in the fourth quarter of the year received applause and mixed feelings. Some participants said the new wage should come earlier than the announced date.

    According to Ngige, the Federal Government would announce the new minimum wage before the end of third quarter which is September.

    He added that in furtherance to the determination by the Federal Government to attain the decent work agenda, which involves opportunities for works that are productive and deliver a fair income, security in work place and social protection for families, there had been overtime, three minimum wage reviews and the tripartite committee on national minimum wage was set to review the minimum wage.

    “Memoranda are being received from relevant bodies and persons to enable the determination of a new minimum wage for the nation. By the third quarter of this year, a new minimum wage will be announced for the country,” he said.

    He appealed to workers for more time and understanding because the government wanted to ensure compliance by state governments. Thereafter, other union leaders took turn to address the workers.

    The NLC at 40 Organising Committee Chairman, Comrade Peter Adeyemi, said the NLC from 1978 till date, has, like any human organisation, witnessed some trials and struggles.

    He said on two occasions, its leadership had been dissolved by the military regimes of General Ibrahim Babangida, between March and December 1988, and General Sanni Abacha in 1994 untill Abacha’s demise in June 1998, when the union reclaimed its autonomy two months later in August 1999.

    “In between, the Congress has encountered a number of challenges, gone into battles with the government and other employers and won some memorable victories for Nigerian workers in particular and the masses in general.

    “Reaching our first 40 years is, therefore, an opportunity to celebrate. It is also an opportunity to reflect on decades of struggles, the impediments, the successes and to outline the immediate and medium-term challenges facing our movement as we march towards the golden jubilee of this Congress in another 10 years,” he said.

    Adeyemi added that the objectives of the anniversary were to highlight Congress’ history and its accomplishments, reflect on the challenges facing the NLC and the wider labour movement and identify ways the challenges could be addressed and articulate an agenda for the Congress in the next 10 years as it marches towards its Golden Jubilee.

    The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, said workers deserved better than what had been offered to them  by government.

    Jega, who was the guest lecturer at the event, urged workers to participate in politics rathet than agitating for wage increase alone.

    Speaking on the topic, “Labour, politics and governance in Nigeria”,  the former Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU’s) President also urged workers to put pressure on elected leaders to be responsible and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the citizens.

    According to Jega, workers must be mobilised to engage in electoral process to increase and improve the integrity of the process and contest on the platform of the working people’s parties.

    A member of the NLC Central Working Committee, who is also the Secretary-General of the Textile Union, Comrade Issa Aremu, said the NLC remained the biggest labour centre in Nigeria and, indeed, in Africa with over seven million members organised and potential 40 million members.

    He said the NLC with seven million worker – membership from 52 affiliate industrial unions, is the biggest independent free trade union movement in Africa, followed by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

    He said the NLC can improve on its democratic heritage, if members avoid the pitfalls of exclusion, which often undermine unity and cohesion.

    “In the years to come, all unionists must be united and stop divisive leadership tussles. At 40,  NLC must put pressures on the likes of Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna State to stop undermining union organisational and financial independence.

    “The governor must withdraw the recent reported illegal anti-union stoppage of check-off dues to public unions in Kaduna State.

    “The governor’s reported directive is reminiscent of colonial and military anti-union discredited and unsustainable decrees and measures aimed at undermining the unions. President Muhammadu Buhari must impress it on  all  governors to follow his commendable steps in bailing out the state workforce through payments of bail outs to the governors. He must also defend the 1999 Constitution with respect to labour matters. Labour issues are purely Federal exclusive issues not state affairs,” Aremu said.

  • NUPENG vows to shutdown sector over sack threat

    NUPENG vows to shutdown sector over sack threat

    Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has warned that it will shut the oil sector if the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) sacks its members as threatened in a recent ultimatum to the Federal Government.

    The marketers have given the government a 14-day ultimatum to settle the N650 billion debt allegedly owed its members.

    In a statement by its Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, DAPPMAN said if the government failed to meet the deadline, it would direct its members to shut all the depots the NNPC uses to store imported products as well as disengage their over 10,000 workers.

    However, NUPENG President, Igwe Achese, who addressed the  reporters after the NUPENG Elders Stakeholders Meeting in Lagos, said the union would protect its members from the threats.

    Achese noted that there was an urgent need to call for dialogue with the marketers, adding that if the issues were not promptly addressed, NUPENG would be at the receiving end.

    “The problem will not only affect workers, but also tanker drivers. Hence, if it happens, we will react to protect our members. If workers are sacked, the union will react accordingly,” he said.

    The NUPENG chief said the government should wake up to the reality that NNPC alone could not sustain petroleum supply in the country.

    “We have always said it that, for fuel crisis to end, our refineries must come back on stream. If we are importing, that should only be a stop-gap,” he said.

    The union, he said, would give the Federal Government maximum support to ensure that all the refineries got back to their full working capacity, but that the government must ignore those that were calling for privatisation of the refineries. Instead, it should look for a way to upgrade the facilities.

  • Review tariff on alcohol, tobacco, union urges govt

    • Says 2,000 jobs lost in two years

    The Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) has urged the Federal Government to re-evaluate the recommendation to raise tariff on alcohol and tobacco to prevent job losses.

    FOBTOB General Secretary Mr Iji Solomon made the call when he spoke to reporters.

    Finance Minister Mrs Kemi Adeosun had recommended an increased tariff on alcohol and tobacco because of their health implications and to raise revenue.

    According to Solomon, the recommendation to raise tariff on the products could affect their manufacturers and lead to redundancy.

    “There is no doubt that the minister proposed the increase based on ECOWAS Common External Tariff, but it should not be at the detriment of local manufacturers or the economy,” he said.

    The union’s scribe said the price disparity for each of the products by the minister was not understandable but that any increase would impact on the workforce.

    He said the “Ad valorem” tariff (Value Tax) was a normal tariff on products in the industry but it could increase the unit tax of tobacco.

    According to Solomon,  about 2,000 workers have lost their jobs in the last two years because of the closure of companies and economic indices.

    He said the only tobacco company in Nigeria needed incentives while distilleries should be encouraged to employ more workers rather than sack them.

    “Many distilleries closed business because they can no longer access foreign raw materials for  production. Only a few are working and any increase will lead to redundancy.

    “Since the distiller companies use local materials, increase in tariff can lead to their collapse. Secondly, with an increased tariff, the distillers will be unable to compete with imported ones,” he said.

    Solomon urged the government to collaborate with industry stakeholders such as Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) on the issue.

  • Court fines ex-unionist N200,000

    An Ogun State High Court in Ipokia Division has fined former labour leader Peter Asamba N200,000. He has an option of a six-month jail. Asamba was convicted on a two-count charge of conspiracy and assault against some staffers of the National Union of Chemical Footwear, Rubber and Non Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE).

    He was a leader of the footwear, rubber and leather workers before the merger in 1996 and was at logger heads with NUCFRLANMPE, trying on several occasions to forcefully take over the secretariat of the union.

    In 1999,  during the tenure of Lucas Damulak, Asamba was alleged to have attacked the union secretariat  in Sango-Ota, in Ogun State, leaving  the former General Secretary of the union,  AlhajI Taoreed Ibrahim, almost crippled.

    On July 6, 2006, he was also said to have attacked the union, making the it to seek to redress at the court. The matter, which had been in court for 12 years, was finally laid to rest with Asamba’s conviction by Justice Muhammad Owodunni.

    Joseph Odimba, who was accused along with Asamba, died during the trial, which began on a three-count charge of attempted murder, assault and conspiracy.

    The judge, however, exonerated Asamba of attempted murder, noting that though it was established that he was carrying a gun, but with no intention to kill as he was reported to have shot into the air and wall and not directly at his victims.

    Asamba was accused of going to NUCFRLANMPE secretariat with a bus full of hoodlums, armed with matchets and charms to attack security men led by Akanbi Adesina, who resisted their entry into the secretariat.

    Asamba, according to the judge, claimed that he was at the secretariat to take over as the General Secretary of the union, having received an invitation from officials of the secretariat.

    Justice Owodunni, however, found Asamba guilty on the other two charges of conspiracy and assault, upon which he and the other accused were sentenced to six months each, to run concurrently or pay a fine of N100,000 for each of the sentences.

    Justice Owodunni also stated that Asamba, who had lost his job since 1991, had no business being at the NUCFRLANMPE secretariat. He could only be at the secretariat if he was in employment and a member of the union.

    Reacting to the judgment,  Director, Legislative Drafting in Ogun State, Olusegun Olaotan, who was the lead counsel for the state, said it was a fair as the convict has been restricted from disturbing the union.

    The Investigation Police Officer (IPO), Fatai Idris, who was in charge of the case, also commended the union for being steadfast in ensuring that the convict and his were brought to book.

    The officer said the accused had ran away after committing the crime but were arrested nine months later when he wrote a petition to the Police alleging that one of them was missing.

    The National President of NUCFRLANMPE, Goke Olatunji said the union was pleased with the judgement as  Asamba had caused a lot of problems for the union.

    “It is a good judgment. We’ve been on this since 1996 and the most important thing now is that he has been barred from coming to our union and convicted for all his crimes,” he said.

  • NECA rejects Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2016

    NECA rejects Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2016

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has rejected the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2016, sent to President Muhammadu Buhari  by the National Assembly. NECA urged the President to withhold his assent.

    The Bill seeks development and promotion of fair, efficient and competitive markets in Nigeria. It will also facilitate access to safe products by citizens and protect consumers’ rights.

    NECA accused the National Assembly of surreptitiously inserting 0.5 per cent tax on companies to fund the establishment of a planned Commission/Agency, which will undertake responsibilities under the law.

    NECA also contended that the  0.5 per cent tax on private companies was neither in the draft nor discussed at the public hearing of the bill. It described the development as fraudulent.

    In a statement by its Director-General, Mr. Segun Oshinowo, the body said: “While the private sector welcomed and, in fact, actively supported the introduction of a dispensation where an institution will exist to promote fair, efficient and competitive markets in the Nigerian economy, at no time, during the public hearing on the Bill, did we discuss the imposition of 0.5 per cent profit after tax on all companies operating in Nigeria, as a source of funding the Commission. This provision was not contained in the draft bill that was exposed to the public.

    “So, what could have been the source of this obnoxious provision that seeks to further drain life out of a struggling and comatose private sector that is still laboring under the unbearable weight of multiple and overlapping taxes and levies? This surreptitious insertion is a fraudulent act, which we seriously frown at.”

  • Govt committed to workers’ welfare

    Minister of State for Labour and Employment Prof Stephen Ocheni has said the Federal Government remained committed to improving workers’ wellbeing in the country.

    Ocheni, who spoke in Igalamela Local Government Area  of Kogi State, said the Federal Government had inaugurated a committee on minimum wage to fashion out an improved and living wage for workers.

    According to him, the economic recovery and growth plan of the government is designed to improve the standard of living and wellbeing of Nigerians, including workers.

    He said President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has embarked on an all-inclusive economy, designed to improve both the private and public sector and government alone cannot be the employer of labour.

    The government, he said, has invigorated National Directorate of Employment’s (NDE’s) efforts at creating self-sustaining employments for youths in the country through skills acquisition and empowerment with startup packs.

  • Expatriate quota: Labour queries govt

    The Federal Government has been criticised by the organised labour for failing to checkmate expatriate quota abuse by multinationals.

    National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) President  Lateef Oyelekan, who spoke at the inuaguration of the Kwara/Kogi/Niger branch secretariat of the union in Ilorin, said the government’s failure to act decisively has further compounded unemployment in the country.

    “Our government should take this issue of expatraite quota abuse seriously and take a decision that will be beneficial to the country just as the government of Ghana has done,” he said.

    The law of the country, he noted, only allows expatriates on technical ground, but the multinationals, he lamented, no longer respect the law.

    According to him, they now bring in expatriate as line managers, accountants, sale and marketing managers, including other jobs that Nigerians are more qualified to do.

    He said: “Government should ensure that no expatriate comes in for the jobs that Nigerians can do, especially in marketing and sales. When you make a foreigner a marketing director, what does the person know about our terrain and market?

    “Most of our jobs have been taken over by the expatriates and we continue to complain of rising unemployment in the country.”

    Oyelekan said labour would no longer tolerate Nigerians being made second class citizens in their country.

    He recalled that workers in the aviation sector under National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers ( NAAPE ) umbrella recently shut down the operations of the Bristow and Caverton Helicopters nationwide, alleging  expatriate quota abuse and gross violation of workers’ rights.

    The NUFBTE President said all efforts at creating more employment should be encouraged, adding that the union through its entrepreneurial venture has over 200 employees.

    “Our goal is give all our state branches building of their own and empower them to go into business through that more jobs will be created. This we are doing in our little efforts to support the government,” he said.

    He said the inuagurated secretariat’s foundation was laid in 1993, but his leadership as part of the commitment to position the union as self sustaining with little reliance on the employers, undertook several ventures and completed many of such projects.

    Michael Imoudu Labour Institute (MINILS) Director-General, Alhaji Saliu Alabi, who represented the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, at the event commended the union for its foresight to remain financially relevant  in spite of the dwindling check off dues.

    Nigeria Breweries Employee Relations Manager, Mr. Niyi Alabi, equally described the new building as a national pride, built in spite of the recession. He urged the union to extend the goodwill to other councils.

  • Labour pushes for anti-smuggling special task force

    Labour pushes for anti-smuggling special task force

    • Seeks implementation of CTG policy

    The National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), has called on the Federal Government to institute a special task force against smuggling.

    Its General Secretary, who spoke with The Nation, said the industry has recorded 700 job losses to retrenchment in some of the remaining factories.

    Comrade Aremu said: “There is high influx of counterfeit and smuggled goods due to weak enforcement of import prohibition policy. The Federal Government should do what is being done on rice importation, to textile.  We need a Special Task Force against smuggling just as it is on rice.

    ”In spite of the efforts by the Federal Government, the textile industry is yet to come alive. Only recently, the industry recorded about 700 direct job losses due to retrenchment in some of the remaining factories.”

    Aremu commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to reviving the textile industry, adding that Buhari  made textile industry and the manufacturing sector’s revival his cardinal campaign programme. He said through the activist facilitation, President Buhari administration has initiated a number of measures aimed at industry revival.

    Aremu said there could not be development without industry.  Only industry can provide sustainable jobs and living wages and necessary revenue for the government to provide the needed infrastructure for development, he said.

    He said for a diverse country like Nigeria, industry is also a unifier.

    ‘’There was once a Nigeria in which we have textile industry in all the geo-political zones of the country.This is why our union is Pan-Nigerian,’’ he said. He said for Africa to meet the Sustainable Development Goal, 2030, African Continent must innovate and industrialise.

    “Africa must copy China’s industrialisation drive, which has within 20 years moved over 500 million people out of poverty through sustainable employment and wage-led manufacturing and industrialisation. Africa must make what it consumes, otherwise it will be consumed by the rest of the world,” he said.

    He also commended the Executive Orders issued by the Federal Government in line with President Buhari’s promise on the ease of doing business.

    “We acknowledge and commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for launching the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). However, it is surprising the National Cotton, Textile & Garment (CTG) policy was not built into the ERGP.

    “The government should ensure the implementation of Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) policy as adopted by the Federal Government since 2014. The major highlight in that policy is that we must ensure that there is uninterrupted electricity supply to textile industry, as well as other manufacturing industry,”he said.

  • Ngige seeks lasting solution to unemployment

    Ngige seeks lasting solution to unemployment

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige has called for measures to curb rising unemployment.

    Job creation policies and programmes, he said, must anticipate future labour market requirements rather than reacting to them.

    Ngige, who spoke  while inaugurating the National Employment Council and unveiling the revised National Employment Policy in Abuja, said: “In co-ordinating implementation of strategies to fast-track employment creation, we must bear in mind that such strategies are most likely to be successful, if they anticipate future labour market requirement rather than reacting to them.

    He said Nigeria had to move away from past approaches where strategies for employment creation and poverty alleviation were done in response to crises, or as temporary measures to mitigate the impact.

    Ngige said unemployment is a global challenge, adding that Nigeria, like other nations, needs to take proactive measures towards curbing the menace, stressing that the concern is even more urgent due to the link between youth idleness and perennial violent crimes in the different parts of the country, which pose threat to socio-economic stability.

    Ngige said the task before the council was formidable. He expressed confidence in the council’s ability to come up with the solution that will, in the medium and long-term, reverse the alarming trend of unemployment.

    “The task before this council is formidable. However, with the calibre of members of this council, which is made up of renowned experts, practitioners and policymakers in development and employment promotion, I have no doubt in my mind that you have what it takes to proffer solutions that will, ultimately, halt and in the medium and long-term reverse the current unemployment situation in the country,” the minister said.

    The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Bolaji Adebiyi, said  unemployment and poverty are critical challenges that  require  concerted efforts of all stakeholders to address.

    Adebiyi emphasised that it was in a bid to address the unemployment crisis that the National Employment Policy was formulated with the aim of consolidating into an integrated and coherent document, a beacon for attaining full employment for Nigerians, particularly the youth.