The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Minister: govt is committed to youth employment

    Minister: govt is committed to youth employment

    The Federal Government is committed to its youth empowerment programmes. It is also considering adopting capacity to create jobs as one of the criteria for offering contracts and assistance.

    Budget and National Planning Minister Udoma Udo Udoma, who gave the indication at a forum with members of the 25th Regular Course on Policy, Strategy and Leadership of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Abuja, said unemployment  was giving the  Federal Government great concern.

    Consequently, it has made job creation one of the major objectives of its Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

    A statement by his Media Aide, Akpandem James, said the plan was aimed at creating jobs by developing labour-intensive sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, housing and construction while also launching a number of public works programmes and encouraging private-sector participation in the economy.

    Government, he said, was developing infrastructure in sectors with the capacity to create demand for labour and would sustain the N-Power programmes, as well as continue to support small scale enterprises to maximise their potential for job creation.

    He added that there are other policies to encourage job creation, including apprenticeship programme, supporting and patronising Made in Nigeria Initiative to encourage local manufacturing.

    To further give impetus to the drive, he said government would give necessary support to institutions that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as a veritable foundation for building a knowledge-based economy.

    He pointed out that the bulk of the job creation initiatives would prioritise youth as beneficiaries and is being pursued through direct job creation by the Federal Government and those created in the informal and formal sectors by the private sector, and skill-building programmes.

    Udoma emphasised that government would no longer give incentives to private investors on the basis of intentions but of results; and that the driving principles would depend on how many jobs would be created, how much value would be added to the economy, the quality of goods produced and how much foreign exchange they could generate.

  • Workers threaten to shut down OML 42 operations

    Workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), have threatened to shut down Neconde Energy Limited (NEL) for alleged breach of agreement. They accused the firm of not complying with the agreement to transfer 25 workers to Warri.

    Neconde, an indigenous oil and gas company, operates OML 42 in partnership with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

    PENGASSAN blocked the entrance to NEL offices on Victoria Island, Lagos, on Monday, and picketed the company’s offices in Lagos and Warri. It said actions would continue if the company did not accede to workers’ demands.

    Addressing the workers, who sealed the company’s corporate head office in Lagos over alleged violation of an agreement between the leadership of PENGASSAN and Neconde, the Lagos Zonal Chairman of PENGASAN, Abel Agarin, said the union had written several letters to the company to resolve the issues but to no avail.

    He stated: “Our demand is that we want a communiqué in place that will address the transfer issue of these 21 employees that are affected.” According to a communiqué issued by the union members in PENGASSAN Neconde branch, they alleged “forceful restructuring, alignment, harmonization of structure and condition of service and policies of NEL across other non- exploration and production subsidiaries of the Obijackson Group.”

    Neconde is one of the subsidiaries of Obijackson Group.

    As part of their grievances the union stated: “Unprocedural, immediate and forceful transfer (including pregnant women/nursing mothers) of Staff from Lagos to Warri; nonpayment of outstanding field allowance of staff from August 2016 till date. No evidence (Tax clearance certificate) of remittance of Employees’ tax (PAYE) to Lagos and Delta State Governments since 2012, to name a few.”

    NEL reaction Reacting to the allegations, NEL’s Corporate Communication Manager, Olusegun Micheal, said “We are currently in talks with the leadership of PENGASSAN to ensure that we reach a mutually beneficial agreement on some of the demands presented by the association. So far, management and the company have enjoyed their co-operation and hope that the association will continue to abide by best in class labour union practices by exploring negotiation and collaboration as labour relations tactics.”

  • NLC, TUC, others picket firm for alleged non-payment of salary

    NLC, TUC, others picket firm for alleged non-payment of salary

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Trade Union Congress, TUC United Action for Democracy (UAD) and workers of Automobile, Boatyards, Transport Equipment and Allied Senior Staff Association (AUTOBATE) have picketed Galba Nigerian Plc over alleged non-payment of salaries. Workers alleged that they are being owed 19 months salary.

    The unions, which barricaded the entrance to the company, displayed placards with inscriptions such as, “Stop the violation of condition of service,” “It is a crime to owe workers;” “No pay, no more work;”said the picketing was to attract attention to the plight of the workers.

    The branch chairman of AUTOBATE in Galba, Comrade Innocent Udongfo, accused the company of negligence and urged it to meet the demands of the workers.

    Udongfo said: “We can no longer pay our rents and our children are out of school. We are calling on the management to pay our salaries from 2015 till today. And to remit all our union dues from 2010 till date. They should implement our total emolument of the condition of service duly signed in the employment manual.

    “Several negotiations with Galba management could not work because they always want to play over our intelligence. They don’t even listen to us. Anytime we have opportunity to meet with the management they will walk us out.”

    The General Secretary of AUTOBATE, Mr. Sola Olorunfemi, explained the union had made several attempt to resolve the issue but regretted that Galba had avoided the invitations.

    Olorunfemi said, “We came all the way from Lagos after all efforts engage the Galba management in meaningful discussion proved abortive. They owe the workers since 2015 November. We have made the TUC in River State to dialogue with the company over this matter. But the management has been playing pranks for over 18 months now in order not to get this salaries paid.

    “We have recorded about five persons dead over the level of suffering inflicted on the workers by the company. We will hold this company hostage, there will be no practical operation in this premises until our demand are met.

    However, calls made to the Managing Director of Galba Nigerian Plc, Mr. Mike Appia, to get the company’s reaction were neither picked nor returned, but Administrative Officer of the firm, Mr. Dan Adi, said has nothing to say on the claims of the staff members.

  • Labour warns against ‘secret’ concession of NRC

    Labour warns against ‘secret’ concession of NRC

    Labour has backed the Federal Government’s plan to concession the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), demanding transparency in the process.

    It, however, kicked against the privatisation of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), calling for its effective funding. It regretted that the FHA has been neglected by the government.

    Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporation and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), President Comrade Mohammed Yunusa, who addressed reporters in Abuja, warned against secret concession of the NRC.

    He pointed out that the union will support the planned concession of the NRC, only if there is a high level transparency in the process. He also added that privatisation of FHA will take away the ability of low-income earners to own houses of their own.

    The SSASCGOC chief warned against the government picking a favoured company behind the door, saying that the earlier attempt by the government to singlehandedly pick a company from the United States as a the concessionaire was not acceptable.

    Comrade Yunusa explained that the ideal thing to do is to advertise the concession and make it open for interested people to apply before the highest bidder with capability to run the corporation is picked.

    He said: “SSASCGOC is not averse to the change mantra of the present administration, particularly in its effort to bring back the rail networks in Nigeria to its lost glory.

    “It must be noted that Nigerian workers contributed immensely to the glorious performance of the rail sector up till 1984 before it started having problems. It must also be noted that workers of NRC were not in any way responsible for the demise of the then rail sector.

    “As a matter of fact, some of our members patriotically worked to the point of death.

    “We salute the courage of our heroes in the railway sector some of whom lost their lives in the quest to making the railway a pride of place for the nation. No thanks to irresponsible leadership.

    “Nobody should therefore attempt to discredit staff of the NRC just because of the failure of successive governments and its managers in NRC. To this end, we make bold to say we shall resist any form of reform aimed at discrediting and sending staff of NRC into the labour market, under whatever guise be it concessioning, franchising or public private partnership.

    “We have learnt our lessons from NITEL’s experience. Never shall we allow such again. According to Albert Einstein, we cannot solve our problems using the same thinking with which we created them.”

  • NSITF promises better package for workers

    The new management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has pledged to introduce improved welfare packages that will boost staff productivity.

    The Head, Cooperate Affairs of NSITF, Aliu Zubairu, said the new Managing Director, Adebayo Somefun, gave the assurance when he assumed duties in Abuja.

    Somefun hinted that a review of the staff welfare package to keep them motivated was underway.

    The new helmsman, who spoke with the three new executive directors of the Fund at its corporate headquarters, assured the staff that the new management understood the essence of a motivated staff.

    He, therefore, assured that management would do everything within its powers to review their welfare packages, stressing that the team was fully prepared to move the organisation forward.

    The new executive directors are: Suleiman Tijani, Mrs. Kemi Nelson and Jasper Azuatalam.

    Thanking every member of staff for a wonderful job done, he stressed the need for teamwork, which was reflected in the resumption of management members simultaneously.

    Somefun urged the members of the staff to see the new management as a team that would take the organisation to the next level, while promising that the  team would not disappoint in ensuring that it left the Fund better than it met it.

    “I assure you that the new executive team has listening ears and our doors are always open for suggestions and ideas,” he said.

    Mrs Nelson said she had, in the past five years, sought an opportunity to be useful not only to herself, but to a lot of people, noting that her appointment was the answer to that prayer. She promised to give her best in ensuring she delivered on her new assignment.

    On his part, Tijani corroborated the position of the managing director, saying the new management would welcome ideas and suggestions and also needed collective efforts to move the Fund forward.

  • TUC: employers no longer adhere to pact with workers

    TUC: employers no longer adhere to pact with workers

    Organised labour has condemed some employers for what it called insincerity in handling some agreements reached with workers.

    Labour is worried the employers’ alleged failure to negotiate with workers before laying them off or withhold their benefits.

    Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, noted that employers had turned to politicians, who could no longer be trusted to keep to agreements.

    Kaigama, who spoke with The Nation, said the development had become commonplace because of the prevailing recession, as employers now took advantage of workers at every opportunity.

    His words: “The fact that there is a little drop in profit margin is not an excuse to lay off committed workers. Between July 2015 and now, the senior staff of food and beverage union has lost thousands of workers to an already over-saturated labour market.

    “The food and beverage sector had millions of workers in its employ until recently when the issue of violation of collective agreement and redundancy, arising from forex problems, among others, became the order of the day. Employers of labour have become politicians and hardly adhere to agreements.”

    Kaigama lamented the atmosphere under which employers currently operate, stressing that no company spends less than half a billion naira to power its plants  monthly.

    He said with diesel now selling for between N250 and N300 per litre, depending on where its being bought, those that could not sustain their businesses have left the shores of the country with their products still flooding Nigerian markets.

    “At its peak, the textile sector provided direct jobs to close to half a million Nigerians and millions of indirect jobs. Sadly, over 90 per cent core investors have since gone into importation.

    “We will be glad if the government can do for the industry what it did for the power sector by making solid arrangement to sell gas to this industry at the same rate it is selling to the electricity distribution companies (DISCOS) since they both require this commodity for production,”he said.

    He said the footwear and leather industry is also combating the challenge of influx of fake tyres from China and fairly used ones. The development, according to him, poses great risk to the masses who are daily on the roads.

    Citing statistics from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kaigama said a total of 4,005 deaths in 7,657 crashes were recorded at the end of week 47 of 2016, with fake tyres, contributing largely to it.

    Kaigama said the same evil that befell the textile, food and beverage, footwear and leather sectors have since befallen the pharmaceutical, chemical, aviation and iron and steel sectors, among others.

    “Reports have it that despite billions of naira so far spent on Aladja, Katsina and Ajaokuta they are yet to fully come on stream,” he said.

    The pulp and paper industries at Jebba, Iwopin and Oku-Iboku, he said, have all long been abandoned and forgotten despite several appeals to the government.

    Kaigama also called on the government to fully implement the National Automotive Policy initiative launched in 2016 through the Bank of Industry (BoI) to assist the middle class patronise local vehicle assembly plants.

    He said through this initiative, many auto plants would boost their sales, stabilise the market and create jobs, even in this period recession.

    The labour leader observed that the financial sector had also been hit by the economic lull, with the insurance and banking sectors not faring better.

  • NUPENG seeks dialogue over Capital Oil crisis

    NUPENG seeks dialogue over Capital Oil crisis

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called on the Federal Government to embrace dialogue to resolve the lingering impasse between the management of Capital Oil and Department of State Security (DSS).

    There has been disagreement between Capital Oil and DSS over the former’s alleged illegal sale of petroleum products stored in its tank farm by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    But NUPENG, in a statement  by its President, Comrade Igwe Achese, stressed that it did not support the illegal diversion and sale of petroleum products stored in Capital Oil’s tank farm by NNPC.

    It, however, stated that it was of the opinion that the Federal Government cannot sit down and watch workers lose their jobs, as in the case of Capital Oil, where over 2,000 workers are idle.

    NUPENG stated that workers had the right to protest the non-payment of their salaries and allowances and that the Federal Government should secure the jobs of those working in the sector. It added that the global practice was for the government to secure and create jobs.

    The union cited the case of Seawolf Oil Services that was taken over by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) where the workers have not been paid the backlog of salaries and entitlements for over five years.

    Achese said NUPENG believed that the job creation mantra of the government should be allowed to come into play, rather than paving way for job losses as with the closure of Capital Oil.

    He called on the government to allow the workers resume work at the depot and load products so that their salaries can be paid instead of throwing them into the unemployment market for no fault of theirs.

    The union urged the government to use social dialogue to resolve the Capital Oil impasse, so that the 2,000 workers in the organisation and their families do not suffer untold hardship.

  • NLC bemoans state of education sector

    NLC bemoans state of education sector

    President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Ayuba Wabba has attributed the decline in the country’s education sector to poor funding and crisis caused by the government’s penchant for not honouring collective agreements.

    Speaking with The Nation, Wabba said the persistent industrial actions by the unions in the university setting, over the years, were traceable to the characteristic habit of government to renege on agreements that it entered with the unions.

    He said: “Today, thousands of Nigerian youths are going to other shores in Africa and beyond to pursue their university education. The foreign exchange the country loses to this venture is considerably high.”

  • Ajaokuta Steel to create 500,000 jobs

    The first phase of Ajaokuta Steel Company will provide 500,000 upstream and downstream jobs when operational, the Federal Government has said.

    The company’s Sole Administrator, Mr. Isah Onobere, made this known during a media tour of the company, last week.

    Onobere said the first phase of the plant would also provide direct employment for 10,000 technical staff.

    He also said the first phase had been completed, adding that it was envisaged to produce 1.3 million tonnes of liquid steel yearly.

    Onobere said it would cost $400 million to complete Ajaokuta Steel, which had reached 98 per cent completion.

    According to him, $2 billion is needed for infrastructure rehabilitation and operational cost.

    Onobere said the government had begun to commit resources toward the maintenance and preservation of the plant’s equipment and facilities. He, therefore, called for improved efforts.

    According to him, the government is considering various options on the way forward for the project’s completion, which includes outright sale, concession and joint venture.

    He, however, denied rumours that the company’s equipment were obsolete, adding that the company can stand the test of time as all its equipment are functioning appropriately.

  • Workers’ anger on May Day

    Workers’ anger on May Day

    A workers’protest marred the May Day celebration at the Eagle Square, Abuja on Monday. Their grouse was what they described as the government’s insensitivity to their plight, TOBA AGBOOLA and TONY AKOWE report.

    With the large turnout, last Monday’s Workers’ Day rally at the Eagle Square in Abuja was supposed to be the biggest and the best, but it turned out to be the worst May Day celebration in recent times.

    As early as 8:am, all the seats at the venue were filled with many people hanging on the wall and looking for where to stand.

    No doubt,  the workers came with high expectations to hear from President Muhammadu Buhari what has become of  the minimum wage proposal, which was tabled before his administration even before the 2016 May Day celebration. Also on the demand list was the issue of pensioners, among others.

    Apparently, a few workers came with the sole aim of ensuring that the event did not record the huge success it was set to achieve. Unlike some political rallies where huge iron barricades are always provided to protect dignitaries from people, movement around the square was free. Although it was difficult to gain access to the venue because of the huge security presence and the number of check points, nevertheless, everyone was free to move around inside the venue.

    From the outside of the venue, there were indications that a high government functionary would address the workers, considering the security presence around the venue. A physically-challenged worker bitterly complained that even when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in power, people were never made to pass through such horrible security check and cordon. Workers were made to walk long distances before accessing the venue. From 9.00am to about 11.am, it was non-stop traffic for workers. They sat quietly waiting for the event to commence.

    By the time the celebration started, some workers, who had no place to seat inside the square, began to gradually make their way towards the podium. They came so close to the extent that their voice could drown the voice of any speaker even with the microphone. This was the situation when the Acting Permanent Secretary, who dressed more like a businesswoman, was called to address the workers on behalf of the Minister of Labour and Employment, who was also seated.

    The workers felt slighted and as she stepped forward, a shout of no, no, rent the air and this went on for almost 20 minutes before the minister stepped forward. Not even the  style adopted by Senator Ngige could persuade the workers as his shout of great Nigerian workers was greeted with a loud no!.

    The event was disrupted for more than one hour by workers, who barred officials of the Federal Government.

    Interestingly, while some of the workers were just expressing genuine anger, it soon became evident that a script may have been prepared and was being executed by a handful of workers, who defied directives from their leaders to return to their seats. Of course, they had no seat and as the Minister told  newsmen later, the rally may have been infiltrated by those determined to sabotage it. He said intelligence reports available to him indicated that some people “who are not workers” and a handful of workers that did not belong to the faction of labour infiltrated the rally.

    Ngige said the workers had no reason to be angry with the present administration because it had been very friendly with them.

    His words: “The Federal Government has been friendly to workers to the extent that it even went ahead and initiated the bailout fund. No government has done that before and that was because we did not want to lay off any worker.

    “So what happened today is that some people, who are not really workers, infiltrated this arena and started causing some problems. Be that as it may, we are going to address the issue of minimum wage, we are also going to address the issue of backlog of promotion areas and allowances of all sorts.

    “We captured them in the 2016 budget, but for some reasons the releases are not forthcoming but the president of the Senate has assured us now.

    “So, we are going to capture them in the 2017 budget appropriation and once it’s captured in the appropriation, the Minister of Finance will handle the rest.”

    Ngige insisted that the venue was infiltrated by non workers due to some fractionalisation within the labour federation, adding that the conclusion was reached based on intelligent report.

    But the question is, at what stage did the Minister get this information? The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, later attributed the incident to the growing workers’ anger over the current economic hardship in the country.

    More than 90 per cent of the workers had left the Eagles Square by the time riot policemen, civil defence personnel and soldiers were being drafted in.

    Although the event continued with the parade by a few workers remaining, this happened after the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other dignitaries,  including the Head of Service of the Federation had sneaked out of the venue through the security at the state box. The Minister of Labour stayed back for a while before leaving also through the security exit.

    Speaking with reporters on the incidence, Comrade Wabba said the workers have today expressed their sadness, challenges, as many of them have not earned their salaries, so it is a demonstration of anger on the situation in the country.

    “The challenges workers are passing through are enormous, workers have expected that either the President or the Vice President would have been present to respond to workers’ yearning and aspiration.

    “Workers’ attitude today have shown that it is an accumulation of anger, and that the economic situation is biting very hard on them as many of them cannot pay their bills,” Wabba said.

    Some workers, who spoke with The Nation, believed that there was no infiltration of the venue by non workers as claimed by the minister. To them, what played out was an accumulation of grievances against the government.

    Mrs Asaba Lydia, a unionist of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, said the workers were taken for granted by the government, hence the reason for sending representatives rather than coming themselves.

    Lydia said the issue began with the minister’s act of sending the permanent secretary to represent him while he represented the President, adding that it was not fair to the workers.

    “On a  day such as this, the government could not even honour workers by attending the event themselves. If the president is not available what about the Vice President?

    “We have tried to follow the norm as workers and it has not worked, so now we are saying we are tired of failed promises, enough is enough,‘’ she said.

    Mr Dassey Heblom, a civil servant, said they (workers) refused to listen to the speeches of the government officials because it has always been stories every year without action or implementation.