The Nation Newspaper

Tag: International Labour Organization (ILO)

  • NLC accuses Ngige of intimidating Organised Labour

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige of intimidating and harassing Organised labour with a view to running them under ground in the country.

    Its President Comrade Ayuba Wabba said in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja that it was aware the NLC was aware of a directive from the office of the Minister to officers of the Ministry to look for ways of dealing with organised labour as a result of its recent confrontation over the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

    Wabba said as part of the plan to deal with organised Labour, the ministry has asked the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) to submit its statement of account for the year 2018 to the Registrar of trade unions within 72 hours in contravention of the law which stipulate 30 days for such request.

    Wabba said the Congress was the initial target of the directive, but when they failed to get anything to hold down the leadership of the NLC, the Ministry turned its search light on NUPENG who were party to the fight to validate the appointment of Frank Kokori as chairman of the NSITF board.

    “The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), an affiliate of the NLC has intimated us of the continued harassment, intimidation, victimization and persecution of its members and the leadership of the union by the Ministry of Labour under the watch of Dr. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment.

    “NUPENG received a letter from the Office of the Minister of Labour dated 13th May 2019 with Reference No: ITU/FR/45/VII/15 requesting NUPENG to submit its 2018 Annual Financial Return within seventy-two (72) hours to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    “We wish to state that the directive by Dr. Chris Ngige for NUPENG to submit its Annual Financial Return within seventy-two (72) hours is in gross violation of Section 40 of the Trade Union (Amendment) Act 2005 and therefore an exercise in illegality and lawlessness.”

    Wabba said that section 40 of the Trade Union (Amendment) Act states that “Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Act, the Registrar may at any time call upon the treasurer, the committee of management or any other official of a registered body to prepare and submit to him within A PERIOD OF THIRTY DAYS from the date of the call letter detailed accounts of the funds of the body in respect of any particular period; and any accounts submitted under this section shall show in detail such information as the Registrar may direct, and shall, if the Registrar so directs, be audited by the duly appointed auditor before being submitted to the Registrar”.

    According to him, “In view of the above quoted provisions of the Trade Union Act which the Minister of Labour and Employment is under oath to protect and defend, we wish to unequivocally posit that the cruel urgency communicated in his letter suggests only one thing – unveiled desperation to disorganize and destroy trade unionism in Nigeria.

    Read Also: ‘NLC invasion of Ngige’s home criminal’

    “It is also not a coincidence that this is coming on the heels of our recent protests against the activities of the Minister of Labour and Employment to undermine organized labour and trade unions in Nigeria.

    “We wish to remind the Minister that the right to protest and picketing are guaranteed by Section 40 of the Nigerian constitution, Section 43 of the Trade Union (Amendment) Act and Conventions 98 and 78 of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

    “Article 2, part 1 of the ILO Convention 98 explicitly forbids government and employers from meddling in the affairs of trade unions, providing that ´Workers’ and employers’ organizations shall enjoy adequate protection against any acts of interference by each other or each other’s agents or members in their establishment, functioning or administration.´

    “We are privy to the fact that shortly after our last protest, a directive was issued from the office of the Minister of Labour to officers in the Ministry of Labour and Employment to fish for grounds on which to deal decisively with organized Labour. We understand that the Nigeria Labour Congress is the primary target in the current overdrive to run trade unionism in Nigeria underground.

    “It was only when the fishing expedition failed to grab anything against the Nigeria Labour Congress that the hunters turned their barrels on NUPENG. This attitude of vindictiveness is not only unbecoming of “the only competent Authority on Labour matters” but also uncivilized, ungentlemanly, undemocratic, uncut and unpolished.

    “Unfortunately, even the most despicable dictators in global annals have never descended to this low of shameful abuse of public office and trust to hound, persecute and terrorize innocent workers, national labour centres and their affiliate unions.

    “It is highly disgusting that this behaviour is coming from a so-called democrat who has had the privilege of seeking public acquiescence especially the votes of workers while contesting for the position of the governor of a state.

    “Given that the intention of the Minister’s recent directive is aimed at achieving narrow, petty and selfish ends, we demand the withdrawal of Dr. Chris Ngige’s letter to NUPENG dated May 13, 2019, Ref. No. ITU/FR/45/VII/15. We also call for a public apology from the Minister of Labour for yet another round of assault on organized labour in Nigeria.

    “Furthermore, we demand that the Minister of Labour and Employment publicly guarantees that he would desist from further harassment, victimization and persecution of workers, our trade unions and the two labour centres in Nigeria. We do not wish that the current fragile industrial peace in our country collapses completely on the account of endless provocations by the Minister of Labour and Employment.”

  • Ngige faults Falana, takes over negotiation with ASUU

    The Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige has faulted human right lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) on the implementation of the No work, no pay policy of the government, saying every employer has the right to withdraw pay for workers while on strike in accordance with ILO conventions and the Nigeria Labour laws.

    The Minister also directed the ongoing negotiations between the federal Ministry of Education and the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities will henceforth take place in his office, directing that all further discussions outside the Ministry should stop

    The Minister said in a statement signed by the Director of Press in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowokoore that he was invoking his power as the Chief conciliator of the Federation to take over negotiation between the union and the government, regretting that efforts so far has not been successful.

    The Minister said that the allusion by Falana that the implementations of the no work no pay by the government was illegal and contravene judgements of the Supreme Court, adding that while workers have a right to strike, employers also have a right to withhold salaries for the days that worker did not work.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has been drawn to media publications in which Mr. Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) human right activist and lawyer, yesterday described as illegal, the enforcement of Sec. 43.1 of the Trade Dispute Act 2004 on the No Work No Pay provision inbuilt in that portion of the Act and asking the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately withdraw what he termed an “illegal order” emanating therefrom.

    “This according to him is in violation of the various judgments of the Supreme Court. The lawyer went further to justify his position by quoting a plethora of Supreme Court judgments. For a start, the Minister is in disbelief as to whether the learned lawyer was correctly quoted.

    “However, reading through the news item, especially his direct reference to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) wherein he urged the lectures to disobey that aspect of the law, insisting also that ASUU complied with section 31(6) of the Trade dispute Act 2005 as amended in declaring its strike, the Ministry is constrained to make the following corrections to avoid further misinformation of the general public.

    “First is that Nigeria is a member of the International Labour Organization( ILO ) a United Nations specialized agency dealing with labour issues and whose aim is to promote the right at work for employees and employers, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.

    Read Also: No agreement yet on minimum wage, says Ngige

    “It is important to state that Nigeria has also ratified and domesticated about 8 core conventions of the ILO out of which two are most related in the instant dispute between ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria. These are the rights to freedom of association and organization as well as the right to Collective Bargaining.

    “Based on these conventions, the ILO recognizes the rights of the workers to strike. However, it also recognizes the reciprocal rights of employers to withdraw wages during strike. This is the anchor for No Work, No Pay.

    “This has also necessitated the Nigerian Parliament (National Assembly) to legislate this into a law through the provision in section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act Cap T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.

    “Until this section of the law is expunged or repealed through legislative process by the National Assembly, it remains not just applicable but also a point of law for compliance by all citizens of Nigeria. To make it clearer, the ILO had ruled that “salary deductions for days of strike give rise to no objection from the point of view of freedom of association principle.

    “Furthermore more, the worker-employer relationship is built on the concept that the worker agrees to provide his labour /service/skill or any other efforts to the employer in return for which the employer agrees to compensate the employee with money, benefits, compensation and any other considerations.

    “The law of No Work No Pay is, therefore, a fundamental axiom in Labour and Industrial Relations all over the world. Accordingly, trade unions all over the world employ global best practices to stock up funds from check off dues to pay their members’ salaries during the time of strike. This has often occasioned brevity of strikes in most climes.

    “The ministry is constrained to go this length of detailed explanation to forestall incalculable harm this misinformation can cause to the national industrial relations system especially when a distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigeria of Falana’s standing is being quoted as asking workers to disobey the laws of the land. Trade Union leaders can afford to do so when playing to the gallery but not a man who belongs to the inner bar, whose members are supposed to be custodians and protectors of laws made by the parliament.

    In this particular issue of Federal Government / ASUU negotiation, the Hon. Minister had earlier in the exercise of his powers sent back the conciliation to the Federal Ministry of Education as he noticed during the first meeting that both parties have not exhausted the internal conciliation mechanism.

    “Knowing that ASUU and her members are on essential services as contained in the Trade Dispute Act, the Hon. Minister of Labour has therefore directed that the matter is re-apprehended back into his Ministry to avoid unnecessary meddlesomeness by external interlopers as well as to ensure speedy resolution of all issues to enable ASUU to call off the strike.

    “Hence, the Hon. Minister in the exercise of his powers in section 5 of the Trade Dispute Act has re-apprehended the dispute and invited all parties to a meeting. By this, all further discussions between the Ministry of Education and ASUU will now recommence at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    A meeting has been convened for Monday, December 10, 2018, at the Conference Room of the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment by 4 p.m. prompt.

    “The Ministry will also further investigate the media report credited to Mr Falana to ascertain whether he actually quoted those Supreme Court judgments, knowing full well that they are tangential and that they neither anchor nor dwell on provisions of section 43 of Trade Dispute Act T8 ( LFN 2004) before it will take further necessary action.”

  • Stopping the menace of Human Trafficking

    Human Trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the traffickers or others.

    This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova removal; it’s occurs within a country or trans-nationally.

    The recent repatriation of the denizens of our dear nation from countries like Libya, Spain, Italy etc., is a pointer to the fact that human trafficking have eaten deep into the moral, social and economic fabric of our country.

    There is an urgent need to curb this menace.

    Human Trafficking is a crime against the person because of the violation of the victims rights of movement through coercion and because of their commercial exploitation.

     According to the research made by the International Labour Organization ( ILO ) in 2012 was about 21million victims are trapped in modern day slavery, that 14.2 million (68%) were exploited for labor,4.5 million (22%) were sexually exploited and 2.2 million (10%) were exploited in state imposed forced labour.

    National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP ) as an agency is saddled with the onerous responsibility to bolster its tracking and monitoring apparatus in order to sanitise not only our physical space, but also the squalid mentality that breeds and encourages human trafficking and exploitation especially amongst the youths.

     

    TYPES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

    1. Children Trafficking
    2. Sex Trafficking
    3. Forced Marriage
    4. Labour Trafficking
    5. Trafficking for organ trade

       

    STRUCTURAL FACTOR

    1. Poverty & globalization
    2. Political & institution challenges
    3. Commercial demand for sex

     

    EFFECT ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING

    1. Psychological
    2. Health
    3. Societal
    4. Economic effect

    Below are some of the ways in which human trafficking can be prevented in our society:

    1. Pray
    2. Learn
    3. Read good books
    4. Express your concern to your political representatives
    5. Support local law enforcement
    6. Be responsible to consumers
    7. Be alert when traveling
    8. Trust your gut instincts
    9. Man up!
    10. Woman up!
    11. Speak up!
    12. Host a dinner
    13. Sponsor a child
    14. Get involved
    15. Protect by prevention
    16. Give
    17. Use your talents
    18. Set an example
    19. Think outside the box

    It is imperative we join forces and resources together as a people to stop human trafficking in our society. Governments should encourage and collaborate with private and nongovernmental organisations to educate and enlighten our citizens on the dangers of trying to cut corners in order to travel out of the country.

  • Buhari creating enabling environment for youth engagement – Ngige

    Buhari creating enabling environment for youth engagement – Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment Sen. Chris Ngige has that the present Buhari administration will continue to create enabling environment for Nigerian Youths in the informal sector to realize their potentials.

    Speaking when the National Association of Barbers and Salon Employers of Nigeria (NABEN) visited him, the Minister said the determination of the government is one of the cardinal programmes of the Federal Government to formalize the informal sector with emphasis on youth empowerment, re-orientation and creation of job opportunities.

    The Minister said “Government cannot provide job for everybody, as job creation is a multifaceted endeavor which runs across Organizations, Ministries, Departments, Agencies of Government and Private Sector’’ As a matter of fact, job creation is the responsibility of the private sector. What Government does is to create the enabling environment.

    He stressed the need to encourage the youths in the informal sector who have shown commitment to their Profession, adding that “a lot of you would have gone to join the Boko-Haram or any other societal vices but you decided to engage yourselves meaningfully, and so in the spirit of what International Labour Organization (ILO) preaches it is our responsibility to encourage you to unionize and form for yourselves association of like minds”

    Ngige said that the decision to form the (NABEN) Union was a step in the right direction and applauded them for taking the bull by the horn. He re-assured the Association of his support to do something positive to grant them autonomy.

    ‘’The Idea of forming your Own Union called National Association of Barbers and salon Employers of Nigeria (NABEN) is a welcome development. The Ministry will expedite action to ensure that your dreams are realizable’’

    “We have no right to force you to remain with the National Union of Hotels services, but we appeal to you that appropriate steps and procedures be followed to obtain application for registration of your Union.”

    Earlier in his address, the leader of the delegation comrade Barile Ngbobu appealed to the Minister to assist in registering their Union, which will enable them contribute their quota in the National development.

    He assured that if the National Association of Barbers and Salon Employers of Nigeria is duly registered, they will remain a credible organization that would make positive impact in the lives of Nigerians.

    Comrade Barile said ‘’ in order to measure up with the world standard of barbing profession the Association needs to be registered so that we could regulate our activities and sanitize the industry to avoid infection and diseases.

  • Experts, academics urge West African leaders to end child poverty

    Experts, academics urge West African leaders to end child poverty

    A group of experts hosted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other organizations have issued a communique urging West African leaders to eradicate child poverty.
    Similarly, the experts also highlighted the need to monitor child poverty with separate measurements along geographic, gender and socio-economic lines.
    The region’s considerable overall economic growth in recent years has not resulted in improvements in the life of vast numbers of children, many of whom still lack access to proper nutrition, basic healthcare, education, clean water and housing.
    Since the publication of a UNICEF global study on childhood poverty in 2003, there has been an expansion of policies aimed at addressing the multiple factors that feed into the problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, in most countries, inequalities and social exclusion continue to fuel the persistence of high levels of child poverty.
    “Child poverty is not only about monetary poverty, but about the actual deprivations children are experiencing,” noted UNICEF Regional Advisor on Social Policy Gustave Nebie, “Children have a right to education, healthcare, information, nutrition, housing, clean water and adequate sanitation. We must ensure our children are free from crippling deprivations today – and enable them to grow into the leaders we need for the future.”
    The call to action issued today is the outcome of an International Conference on Child Poverty and Social Protection held at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, May 23–25. The conference was organised by ECOWAS, UNICEF and the ILO, along with academic networks Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP) and Equity for Children. It was attended by 70 noted regional and global experts and academics.
    As different Sub-Saharan countries battle a range of health and environmental crises, the negative effects on child welfare deepen and expand to varying degrees across the region. Epidemics such as Ebola, natural disasters, including flooding and droughts, and armed conflicts can all counteract improvements that have been made. However, the experts noted at the conference, factors that can be addressed by economic policy, such as poor working conditions, low salaries and high unemployment, can actually have an even greater impact on child poverty.
    Putting policies in place that address these problems is critical to reducing child poverty and creating a better future, the experts said. They also highlighted the need for social protection measures such as providing cash grants and subsidies.
    “Children are not only the most fragile layer in society, they are also the workforce of tomorrow,” said ECOWAS Commissioner Mamadou Traore, “We must put in place a roadmap for the development and adoption of sustainable policies for the eradication of child poverty and for effective and dynamic social protection in the region.”
    Noting the significant role that development partners play in the region, the experts also called on them to place child rights at the forefront of the regional development agenda.