The Nation Newspaper

Tag: labour

  • New minimum wage: States must pay, says Labour

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned states and the Organised Private Sector against coming up with excuses on implementation of the new national minimum wage currently being negotiated for Nigerian workers.

    The Congress said the minimum wage was implementable, asking state government to cut down on its numerous expenses and extravagant spending.

    Its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke at a public hearing on the new national minimum wage organised for the north central zone in Lokoja, said implementation of whatever is arrived at by the committee is implementable if state governments cut down on their excesses and large number of political appointees.

    He spoke on the heels of the shunning of the hearing by state governments within the zone and the Organised Private Sector led by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association.

    Our correspondent observed the employers’ body was conspicuously missing at the Abuja and Lokoja public hearings while Benue, Kwara and Niger states were also not represented at the event organised by the Tripartite Committee on the new national minimum wage to collect from Nigerians into the work of the committee.

    It was not immediately clear if the states and employers’ body had submitted any written submission to the committee for consideration.

    While Kogi pledged to abide by outcomes of the committee recommendations, Plateau state said there has to be a corresponding increase in internally generated revenue and allocation from the federation account for the state to implement the new wages that will be recommended.

    Wabba, who is a member of the committee, said it was unfortunate that some of those who are supposed to make their input into the work of the committee through the public hearing chose to stay away, adding they should not turn round later to complain of not being carried along.

    He said further that states and employers of Labour have always complained of inability to pay new wages, adding that the problem of the country was not lack of resources but ability to manage available resources.

    He pointed out states like Jigawa, which did not access the bailout fund, have been able to pay salaries as and when due as well as made one of the highest proposals on the new minimum wage to the committee.

     

  • Minimum wage: Labour seeks living wage for workers

    • Aregbesola, Ambode, others caution

    Organised Labour laid its fresh demand for N66, 500 minimum wage before the 30-member Ms. Ama Pepple-led tripartite committee on new minimum wage yesterday. TONY AKOWE, TOBA AGBOOLA and ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE report that the workers’ unions spoke with one voice in their request for a living wage.

    IT was the same tune at the public hearings on National Minimum Wage for Nigerian Workers staged in eight city centres across the country yesterday. The workers demanded for a living wage of N66, 500 minimum wage.

    The hearings, organised by the Tripartite Committee of the National Minimum Wage, were staged in Abuja, Lagos and the six geo-political zones.

    The government and employers of labour did not make their offers known yesterday’s public hearings, but the workers’ umbrella unions – the Nigerian Lagbour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), explained why they united on the demand for N66, 500 as monthly salary for the minimum paid worker. The minimum wage is N18, 000.

    Some state governors, however, urged stakeholders to apply caution in fixing a minimum wage.

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who doubles as the Chairman, Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage, Northcentral Sub-committee, urged all parties to settle for a fair, just and implementable minimum wage.

    His Lagos counterpart, Akinwunmi Ambode, said the revenue profile of each state must be taken into consideration as a major determinant of what can reasonably be afforded in terms of wages.

    Ambode said that workers’ salaries should not be allowed to jeopardize the government ability to fund social services that are critical to the well-being of the entire citizens.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to implement the recommendation of the 30-member tripartite committee, which he inaugurated on November 27, last year.

    At the Southwest hearing, which held at the Adeyemi Bero Secretariat Auditorium, Alausa, in Ikeja, Lagos, the organised Labour demanded a new minimum wage for all workers in the country.

    Presenting the memoranda of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Political Committee Chairman of the local chapter of the NLC in Lagos, Agnes Sessi, said that N18, 000 was no longer sustainable as minimum wage.

    According to her, the two labour union unions agreed on the urgent need to review upward the minimum wage to meet the prevailing economic realities; lift a pool of working class out of the poverty trap; and to conform with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards on minimum wage fixing to meet the needs of workers and their families.

    In her submission, Mrs. Sessi said:  “Based on the current realities, the two labour centres demand for a new monthly national minimum wage of N66, 500, which is approximately the average of the implied minimum wages derived under three approaches.”

    She listed the approaches as:

    • Comparative analysis based on minimum wages in some African countries;
    • An estimate of the monthly minimum cost of providing basic needs to a family of six and two dependants and analysis based on rising cost of living over time.

    Mrs. Sessi added that both union seek the amendment of the Minimum Wage Act to provide its review every five years, or whenever there was a general wage review, adding that the recommended best international practice was that the minimum wage law should apply to all workers and not to establishments with 50 workers and above, as contained in the present Act as amended in 2011.

    She said the review of the minimum wage would boost aggregate demand which would further provide a boost to the economy coming out of recession, adding that an enhanced minimum wage, financed by increased taxation on the rich and luxury goods, would promote equity and growth in the economy.

    Also speaking, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Lagos branch, aligned with the NLC and TUC in demanding for N66, 500 new minimum wage.

    The ASCSN spokesman, Akeem Kazeem, said the upward review was overdue because the pay structure in the country had become unrealistic and inadequate, such that workers could no longer meet their basic needs, a scenario, he said that is impacting negatively on their morale.

    Kazeem said: “The sum of N18, 000 which is currently being paid as the minimum salary in the civil service is grossly inadequate. An officer at that level will, however, require about N66, 500 a month to survive. We are in total support of the demand for the sum of N66, 500 for a salary of GL. 01 Step 1 officer as requested by the organised labout.”

    Speaking through the Head of Service (Hos) Mrs. Folasade Adesoye, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said there was a consensus of opinion on the need for workers to be reasonably remunerated and compensated in line with current economic realities.

    He said that was why a provision was made in the law for periodic review of the national minimum wage, admitting that every worker deserved a wage that guarantees decent standard of living.

    Ambode said: “The issue, however, which I believe is more peculiar to the public sector, is striking a balance between what goes into recurrent expenditure of which salaries and allowances is a major component and the ability of government to fulfill its obligations to the larger society.

    “In this instance, the revenue profile of each state becomes a major determinant of what can reasonably be afforded in terms of wages, without jeopardizing the ability of the government to fund social services that are critical to the well-being of the entire citizens.”

    The governor stated that at N18,000 minimum wage, the state’s monthly wage bill was in excess of N10 billion for a workforce of 103,000, asides retirement benefits obligations.

    He said that despite Lagos being the highest revenue generating state internally, it must also be recognised that due to the growing population, “we also shoulder the highest responsibility in terms of the resources that must be expended on social and physical infrastructure renewal and development.”

    Ambode charged stakeholders to be open-minded and flexible in their demands in the overall interest of all.

    In his opening remark, the Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage for the zone and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, who was represented by his deputy governor, Col. Samaila Dabai, said the national minimum wage was first fixed in 1981 and subsequently reviewed in 1991, 2000 and 2011.

    He said: “It therefore means that hitherto, there appeared to be an unwritten cycle of 10 years between reviews.

    “This onerous task cannot be adequately carried out without the wide consultations, which this public hearing provides.”

    At the Abuja hearing, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Mohammed Bello demanded a living wage for workers, describing them as the birds that lay the golden eggs.

    “Those who create the wealth of the nation deserve to be treated well and their welfare adequately taken care of,” the minister said.

    NLC President Ayuba Wabba told state governors canvassing for what they described as true federalism that there was nothing like true federalism anywhere in the world.

    He said federalism has a provision to protect the weak and vulnerable in the society.

    On their part, pensioners, under the auspices of Nigeria Union of Pensioners  (NUP) demanded a minimum pension of N40,000, arguing that a situation where some state pensioners still collect as little as N2000 monthly was unacceptable.

    The FCT minister, who was represented by the Director, Human Resource Management, Hajia Amina Bello, said while the minimum wage review was in tandem with ILO Convention, it should be juxtaposed with government revenue profile to make whatever is arrived at will be implementable.

    Bello said: “The planned review and proposal of a new national minimum wage is laudable, bearing in mind the current economic realities, in lauding the cost of living, particularly as it affect the middle and low income earners. That the review should be juxtaposed with the government revenue profile to ensure hitch free implementation upon approval.

    “This is because it may be counter-productive to arbitrarily consider an upward review without taking into cognizance the cost of funding the revised wage by government and private organisations.”

    The minister frowned at salary disparity among government workers, saying “there is the need for the committee to consider recommending the implementation of salary structure relativity among all federal establishments.

    “A situation where some government parastatals operate enhanced salary structure and allowances for its workforce, while others especially core ministries operate regular salary structure is to say the least somehow demoralising.

    “Investigation to this effect indicates that junior officers in some of these juicy parastatals earn more than directors in the core ministries and department.

    “While not canvassing for a downward review of this salary and allowances of this category of workers, considerable review and introduction of some allowances should be contemplated to mitigate this disparity.

    “There is the need to take into account the peculiar nature of the FCT and the high cost of living, housing, transportation among others.”

    The minister also proposed a special allowance for workers living within the FCT saying, “a comparative analysis of the cost of living in nation’s capitals indicate a wide gap in relation to the states across the countries. Hence there is the need to consider special allowance for workers in the FCT.

    “In view of the other core responsibility of the government and the cost of providing social amenities, the proposed review should be fair and considerate.”

    In his presentation, Wabba said the demand for a national minimum wage was in line with ILO Conventions, which prescribe minimum wage so that we can protect the most vulnerable workers from exploitation.

    He said: “The idea is to protect the most vulnerable worker which cut across both the public and private sector. That is the context which we must look.

    “I have heard the argument that the call for minimum wage is trying to bring about an equal wage across the states of the federation. That is not true. When we signed the minimum wage in 2011, some states offered to pay more than N18, 000. What we are saying is that you need to have a minimum, while across the country, you can pay higher. This also applies to the private sector.”

    On the governors who are using the issue of true federalism to demand that they be allowed to fix their own salaries, he said: “I have heard people talk about true federalism and I have checked and discovered that there is nothing like true federalism.

    “I have checked all the vocabulary in political science and discovered that what you have is federalism and not true federalism. What the United States of America (USA) practice is federalism and in federalism, you need to protect the most vulnerable group from exploitation.

    “If you say states should fix their own salaries, what about the private sector? What that means is that there will be exploitation. What we are saying is fix the minimum and not the maximum. We must protect the most vulnerable group in our society.

    “Also, the minimum wage review is evidence based anywhere in the world. So, it is not arbitrarily fixed. ILO says it should be evidence based with empirical data. In some countries like Ghana, they look at inflation.

    “The workers create the wealth and should benefit from the wealth they create. The issue of ability to pay has always come up. We have said that there are several responsibilities that the federal government is handling that they should not be handling.

    “We have agreed in principle that we should take a look at how to distribute our resources, while we work towards increasing internally generated revenue. If all these and more are considered, the will to pay will be there and the way will also be there.”

    In his argument, Aregbesola said the constitution vested in the Federal Government the right to fix minimum wage for all segments of the society. He, however, cautioned that in discussing the minimum wage, it should be done side by side with the issue of productivity.

    He said: “The assembly here this morning is an indication of our commitment to keep faith with our constitution and the national minimum wage is a constitutional one. Item 34 of the exclusive list empower the Federal Government to deal with the issue of Labour, in losing proscribing the national minimum wage for the federation.

    “This committee comprises of government, both at the federal and state levels, organised labour and the organised private sector in accordance with ILO Conventions.

    “Its task cannot be adequately carried out without the dill consultation which this public hearing provides. I therefore urge you all to make your input dispassionately.

    “We have all along been concentrating on cost of living which is also important. However, in your contribution, let us also look at productivity index, so as to get the best for the economy. By so doing, we will be enriching the outcome of this debate and making it less controversial and more amenable to implementation.”

    NUP Deputy President Aminu Ayuba said the Nigerian laws stipulate that pension should be reviewed every five years or whenever salaries are being reviewed.

    He said that prescribing a minimum pension remained the only way to review the low pensions being paid by all tiers of government.

    At the Southeast centre in Enugu, stakeholders urged the federal and state governments, as well as private employers, to facilitate payment of the new minimum wage to reduce the suffering of workers.

    Speaking for the local chapter of the NLC in the Southeast, Virginus Nwobodo said that the new minimum wage review and implementation had been overdue.

    Nwobodo, who doubles as the NLC Chairman in Enugu State, said that N66, 500 should be the takeoff point as a minimum wage, arguing that it has become difficult for workers to live on N18, 000 with families and dependants to take care of.

    He said: “It is long overdue and we are asking for nothing less than N66, 500 to meet the current socio-economic realities.’’

    Chukwuma Igbokwe, who spoke for the TUC in the region,  called on the Federal Government to conduct a public hearing on political office holders’ wages, so that it would be reviewed.

    Igbokwe said that the huge amount being collected by politicians across board was inimical to the purchasing power of workers, since both patronised the same market.

    NUP zonal chair, Chukwuma Udesi, called on the government to inaugurate a Committee for the National Minimum Wage for Pensioners.

    He said that by so doing, pensioners would start enjoying increment like other workers.

    Udesi said: “NUP is demanding a minimum of N40,000 to meet the basic needs of a pensioner and reduce their sufferings.’’

    He urged Abia and Imo state’s governors to pay the backlog of pension arrears in their state.

    In his remarks, Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano said that the state would remain labour-friendly and implement any fair agreement reached and concluded by the tripartite committee. He was represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Labour Matters Godwin Igbokwe.

    He noted that the government had assured the state workers of increment in their salaries.

    His words: “The state government is ready to implement the increase but wants to wait for the tripartite committee to conclude their assignment. Hopefully in July this year, I assure you that Anambra will be the first to implement.”

     

    Purpose of hearings

     

    The Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, Ms. Ama Pepple, said that the public hearings, simultaneously on-going in eight centres, was meant to collate the aggregate views of the people, especially organised labour, employers and groups.

    Ms. Pepple said that the exercise would enrich the outcome and make the implementation of the new minimum wage easier, since everybody would be taken into account.

     

     

     

    She said: “We have assembled here this morning to collectively exchange ideas in the ongoing efforts by government aimed at establishing a new National Minimum Wage for Nigerian workers. As it is the practice the world over, a minimum wage, once established, is reviewed from time to time in accordance with economic realities.”

    The demand was not different at the Northwest zonal hearing in Kaduna.

    Defending the 40, 000 payment for retirees, NUP President, Dr. Abel Afolayan, argued that the N18, 000 can no longer sustain the standard of living of an average worker, who must meet up with the basic needs of life.

    Afolayan said: “Nigerian pensioners are also confronted with the above enumerated social problems in addition to their age-related health challenges.”

    Represented by his vice, Sani Muhammad, the NUP chief said: “The agitation for minimum pension alongside minimum wage has been going on since the of our union in 1978.

    “This is to correct the ugly situation whereby some pensioners particularly at the state level, earn as low as N2, 000 per month.”

    The TUC faulted the rise in price of food stuff, transport fare, which it said have gun up by 80 per cent, while only the cost of labour remains stagnant.

    Awwalu Mudi Yakasai, who represented the local chapter of the TUC/NLC in Kano State chapter, called for reasonable improvement of the minimum wage, considering the hardship faced by workers whom have families to cater for.

    The TUC chairman in Kaduna State, Shehu Muhammad, told reporters his views on the anticipated minimum wage.

    He said the decision to setup a tripartite committee was a calculated move to strike a balance among all stakeholders.

    Muhammad said: “We are not expecting any resistance from any government in Nigeria, because there interest is well represented in the meeting.

    “We have taken that as a mistake from our own part. That is why this time around the committee is tripartite in nature. We have the representative of governors, Federal Government and the labour organisations.

    “So, whatever decision reached at the end of the committee submission is going to be all encompassing, and include the decision and agreement of the state governors, Federal Government and the labour.

    Gombe State Governor and the chairman of the National minimum wage from the Northwest, Ibrahim Dankwanbo assured that the interest of the labour union will be deliberated upon and a minimum wage figure will be released on a tripartite agreement.

    Dakwambo said: “It is a matter of relying on the indices, inflationary trends of the country, the devaluation of the Naira, our own living standards and a host of other indices we have taken into consideration.”

    He was represented by the TUC National President, Boboye Bala Kaigama.

    Dakwambo said: “The state governments will make their own decision, while the organized private sector will do the same. At the end of the day, we will collate them, and I assure you that with the sprite of tripartism, we will come up with a national minimum wage figure that will be acceptable to all.”

     

  • Labour asks govt to expedite action on new minimum wage

    The three tiers of government have been asked to expedite action on the implementation of N67, 000 minimum wages for workers.

    Speaking at the 6th Delegate Conference of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUCPTRE) which held in Lagos, the Chairman Lagos State AUCPTRE, Dr. Muali Akintayo Zubair said the demand was achievable.

    According to him, “If a senator can be earning N29 million in a month and we are all going to the same market everyday,N67,000 is not even enough as minimum wages for Nigerian workers.”

    While commending Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for taking giant steps in the provision of adequate infrastructure for citizens as well as protection of citizens and prompt payment of staff salaries, Zubair enjoined Ambode to look into the area of waste which now litters the whole of Lagos as “this can be injurious to the lives of Lagos citizens,” he said.

    On his part, the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Lagos State Chapter Idowu Adelakun calls for a serious and sincere handling of security challenges in the area of insurgency, militancy in the Niger Delta region, herdsmen attack, cultism, kidnapping, among others.

     

  • Labour, FMBN seek end to feud over NHF deductions

    The management of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and  the leadership of Trade Union Congress (TUC)  have met in Abuja to discuss contributions of federal civil servants to the National Housing Fund (NHF) being held by the FMBN.

    The meeting, held behind closed doors, was at the instance of the FMBN.

    The meeting, The Nation gathered, was aimed at finding a lasting solution to the disagreement between labour FMBN over NHF deductions from federal civil servants.

    Labour’s position is that 50 percent of federal civil servants’remittance to the NHF should be transferred to the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB). It said this would serve its members interest better than FMBN’s.

    TUC President Bobboi Kaigama, who spoke for labour after the meeting, agreed that while the FMBN and the board were established to render services to their contributors, it was improper to undermine the other party.

    Although FMBN is committed  to workers’welfare, the Board takes more interest in its contributors’ welfare, he said.

    “We cannot encourage robbing Peter to pay Paul. Funding should be provided to ensure the survival of the two institutions. The operational scope of the FGSHLB is different from that of FMBN. However, there are challenges and we are prepared to face the challenges. We will call on the government to fund the FGSHLB. We are also urging the Federal Government to pay up their shareholdings in FMBN,” Kaigama said.

    Kaigama’s position may be understood. Since 2000, labour had been kicking against workers’ contributions to the NHF because the benefits were not guaranteed.

    According to the labour union, as at 2006, about 1.8 million workers were registered from 17,132 employers, under the NHF, with a contribution of about N6 billion. Regrettably, labour claims only less than N280 million was disbursed to 446 contributors as loans.

    Besides, between 1993 and 2006, labour further claimed, about N20 billion was contributed by workers into the NHF without much benefit. This situation, labour maintained, has closed the doors against the FGSHLB believed to have been operating a social welfare scheme by providing houses for Federal Government workers since 1924.

    It is believed in labour circle that by transferring 50 per cent of federal civil servants’ contributions in NHF to the board, more workers would benefit.

    “We do appreciate that there are problems but we cannot address those problems by creating more confusion. So, we, in the NLC and TUC, being leaders of the members of the FGSHLB, will trash out  areas of disagreements,” Kaigama said.

    He called on the government and other institutions that were supposed to contribute to the FMBN to do so, adding that this would strengthen the mortgage institution further.

    “As it is, the Federal Government and the Central Bank have not been paying up their share capital in the bank. FMBN is workers’fund. So, we want the Federal Government to bring in their  funds. The law establishing the FMBN says there are parts of the interest of the insurance companies that should be invested in the bank yearly through the FMBN; these things are not being done,” he added.

    Also, FMBN Managing Director Ahmed Dangiwa said there was the need to recapitalise the bank. He said its officials had been meeting to ensure that workers got the benefits of their contributions.

    “Before now, we have not been having it very well, but we are assuring workers that with the new management team in place, they will be better off in terms. We are pretty sure that things will be resolved,” he added.

    He refuted claims that the “Home Renovation Loan” initiative of the FMBN was initiated to douse tension from the aggrieved subscribers. The scheme, which includes the Rent-to-Own initiative, Dandiwa explained, was implemented through the FMBN Project Department.

    “Home Renovation Loan was one of the products we developed and we have disbursed over N10 billion to over 12, 000 beneficiaries across the country. This is apart from other loans, which we have given out to over 18, 000 beneficiaries worth over N78 billion disbursed. So, it can’t be anybody’s initiative aside from FMBN,” he said. He added that the bank is thinking of introducing hostel-development loan programme for universities and other institutions.

    Indeed, the last may not have been heard of this unfolding drama. Labour is seeking an amendment to the FGSHLB Act at the House of Representatives to ensure that federal public servants get benefits from their contributions. If it succeeds, experts believe the monopoly of the FMBN in the sector would be broken.

    The NHF Act, which became operational in 1993, compels workers to contribute two and half per cent of their salaries to the fund. It also empowers the FMBN to manage the funds  contributed by workers.

    At a Public Hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Service Matters on March 27,  the Legal Services Director, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Emmanuel Omonowa, said: “In view of the fact that contributions to the NHF are being done by federal public employees, 50 per cent should be ordered in the Act to be amended, to be paid to the loans board.”

    He argued that before the deductions were given to the primary mortgage institutions to build houses that civil servants could not buy.

    He lamented that contributors, who should be helped  to own a house, could not afford same and they could not get their contributions back. This, he said, should not be allowed to continue so that there would not be a case of senior citizens retiring with heart attacks.

    A representative on the FGSHLB,  Mr. Ejiofor, also said the anomaly should be corrected.

    He explained that contibutors to  NHF were mainly federal employees.

    He said: “You use the funds of federal employees to fund mortgage owners or mortgage system, in which the workers themselves cannot pay the terms. That is the critical issue. Most state governments’ workers are not in the scheme and we are saying that federal public employees, who are the main contributors, must benefit more. Does the NHF give annual returns?”

    The FGSHLB, he stressed, is for federal public employees, and as such, the bulk of their contribution, should go to them. He added that by taking the contributions of poor workers to fund mortgage institutions, who in most cases, provide housing schemes for the rich, is an aberration.

  • ‘My dad didn’t wait to eat the fruits of his labour’

    Daughter of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) ex-councillor, late Solomon Adewale Awokoya, yesterday said her father did not wait to eat the fruit of his labour.

    Ayomide Awokoya spoke at the wake held at 4 Akinsola Street, Bariga.

    The late Awokoya, represented Ward ‘C’ in the Bariga LCDA Legislative House, died on Saturday, a day to his 54th birthday.

    He was survived by his mother, wife, Ibukun, 50, and two children Ayomide, 22 and Olajide, 20.

    The deceased bought some empowerment materials, including a N125,000 industrial machine, to be distributed to the people in his ward on Sunday as part of activities marking his birthday.

    Ayomide, a student of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, described her dad as very lovely, jovial and humble.

    “I promise to make you proud even in death,” she said.

    Many people, including All Progressives Congress (APC) members, neighbours and well-wishers gathered to bid the late Awokoya farewell.

    Temitope Awokoya described his late brother’s death as shocking.

    “He was a mentor and a good ambassador of our family,” he said.

    Bariga LCDA Chairman Kolade Alabi said the council would make every April 8 a memorable day in Bariga.

    According to him, the Health Centre in Oloja will be renamed after the deceased.

    “I want to assure the children that their education will not stop. The council will not abandon them. We will set up a foundation in your dad’s name. The proposed poverty alleviation programme of Wale Awokoya will not be cancelled,” he said.

    He urged those present to emulate the late Awokoya, who he said, lived a worthy life.

    The party Chairman, Otunba Dengel Anifowoshe, said he spoke with the deceased few hours before his death and promised to attend his poverty alleviation programme.

    Among those in attendance include a member of House of Representatives, Wole Diya, Lagos State House of Assembly member Rotimi Olowo, Bariga LCDA Vice-Chairman Adeola Kuponiyi, Jide Awokoya, Elder Ebenezer Adeleke, Elder Iyo Oyasodun, all councillors, supervisors and Special Advisers and Ward Chairmen.

    The late Awokoya’s funeral rites continue today with a church service at Ebenezer African Church, Popoola Street, Bariga. His body will be interred at Pakuro, Mowe, Ogun State.

  • Labour must defend Nigerians, says AUPCTRE

    Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) President Comrade Anthony Benjamin has challenged organised labour to demand for good governance from elected leaders and defend Nigerians.

    “We owe it a patriotic duty to rise to demand for good governance from our elected leaders. This is to say that the character of the Nigeria ruling class is exploitative and parasitic; therefore, we, as working class, must wake up to defend Nigerians,” he said while speaking to reporters, after the successful state delegates’ conference of the union in Abuja.

    Benjamin kicked against privatisation of public utilities, especially water and other sectors.

    He said states, such as Lagos were busy bringing in companies that have ruined water systems in some countries of the world.

    He said: “Today the government has extended the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to education and health sectors. The contradiction with our leaders is that while United Kingdom and United States that privatised their water more than 30 years ago are taking back water from private hands, Nigerian leaders are shamelessly pursuing the policy.

    “As leaders and workers, we must realise that neo-liberalism and globalisation have done a great havoc to workers’ solidarity and comradeship. The situation now is that, workers world over and communities, have turned against one another. The scenario today is such that while workers or group of workers are complaining of under payment or non-payment of wages, the unemployed youths are being turned into common thugs and engage in anti-social activities. We owe it a patriotic duty to rise to demand for good governance from our elected leaders.”

    “Some of us came into this struggle today not because of what we stand to gain but because we have passion for it,” Benjamin added.

  • Labour raises minimum wage demand from N56,000

    THE Organised Labour has presented fresh demand for the new National Minimum Wage for workers to the tripartite committee, using current economic indices as its yardstick.

    It said the N56,000 earlier presented was no longer feasible.

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) General Secretary Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, who spoke in an interview in Abuja, said the earlier demand by labour, which was presented two years ago, has been overtaken by the present economic realities.

    The NLC scribe said that the fresh demand was submitted at the last meeting of the tripartite committee after an agreement among Labour leaders.

    He 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 involved  to submit a memorandum.

    “In responding 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.

    “We did the analysis using the current economic table and data of the nation and of cause that came to something different. We are going to maintain what is in the memorandum that we have submitted to the tripartite committee and it is not something or a figure we will be discussing in public.”

    He said the fresh demand was contained in a joint memorandum by the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), saying: “We have also formerly made the presentation to the committee and we have defended it and we have a different submission from the initial one. We have also taken account of changes between the first demand and the current position.”

    He, however, did not disclose the new demand by organised labour.

  • ‘Labour must do more for workers’

    Organised Labour needs to do more to give fair representation to workers across all sectors, the International Trade Confederation (ITUC) has said.

    The ITUC, Africa Region, during a visit to the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) in Abuja, said the NLC had the capacity to double the number of organised workers.

    Its Co-ordinator, Human and Trade Union Rights, Joel Odigie, urged MHWUN to support the Ayuba Wabba-led  executive to increase the size of organised workers in Nigeria.

    He said: “Part of the assistance that should be given to Ayuba is for the union to be relentless organising. Organising at the NLC should be given more emphasis, now the number is six million, but I believe that we can have 18 million. This can be done within a year.”

    He maintained that more workers were, indeed, waiting to be organised, advising the labour movement to move beyond the union to the private and the informal sectors.

    Also, the Somali Trade Federation has commended the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for its role in the formation and existence of the labour centre in the war-torn country.

    On the support, the Federation of  Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) has got from Nigeria, its General Secretary,  Omar Faruk Osman, said his visit to Nigeria was to express appreciation to the NLC and the union which produced the NLC president.

    “Nigeria has been speaking for Somalia in the United Nation. Kenya was expected to give us support when the federation was formed, but we didn’t get it, but NLC came to our aid,” he said.

    MHWUN National President  Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, however, assured ITUC that the workers and the union had always given the NLC President the  necessary support to ensure that he succeeds in his mandate at home and internationally.

    “Ayuba is part and parcel of this union, this is his base. The union has not been as successful as we are now, Ayuba Wabba is the one that made our unions what it is today. His feet fits the shoe wherever he goes to represent labour,”he said.

    He noted that the union over the years respected and honoured its past leaders whom the present leadership sees as elders as they are still very relevant in giving guidance to the union.

    The MHWUN president said the union was happy with Wabba’s global record, adding that the union would continue to support the NLC President in his efforts on Somalia and others in the continent.

     

     

  • Reps move to curb incessant medical tourism abroad

    Reps move to curb incessant medical tourism abroad

    In a bid to curb incessant rate of medical tourism abroad, the House of Representatives has called for a comprehensive upgrade of Tertiary Health System, Teaching Hospitals and Medical Centres in each state of the country to international standard.

    To this end, the House also resolved to set in motion, necessary machineries that would ensure an upward review of the Budgetary allocation for the health sector to meet the minimum 15 percent recommended by African Heads of States in Abuja, known as the Abuja Declaration 2001.

    The resolution of the Green Chamber was sequel to the adoption of the prayers of a motion sponsored by a member, Segun Adekola (PDP Ekiti) titled: “Need to upgrade the teaching Hospitals and the National Hospital, Abuja to international standard.”

    Adekola while moving the motion noted that available statistics showed that Nigerians spend over N360 billion yearly on medical treatment abroad.

    He said despite Nigeria being a major signatory to the Abuja Declaration of Heads of Governments which resolved to adopt a minimum of 15 percent as national health budgets for all members in Africa, the Country has never exceeded 6 percent since the declaration was made in 2001.

    The One percent consolidated fund which the National Health Act, 2014 stipulated for health, especially for universal health coverage, health insurance and primary healthcare, has never been implemented since the Act was enacted in 2014, he said.

    “If the twenty Teaching Hospitals spread across the six geo-political zones of the country are refurbished and made to function optimally, Nigerians will not need to travel abroad for medical treatment,” Adekola said.

    When the Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Dogara called for a vote on the matter, it was passed by a majority of members.

    The House thereafter mandated the Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity to ensure implementation of the resolution.

    Read Also: Reps seeks US’ support in repatriating stolen funds

  • Of dysfunctional labour market

    The Nigerian labour market is currently dysfunctional. A manifestation of this malaise is the level of unemployment in the market. This had always been the problem even when the economy was experiencing growth of an average of more than six percent. It was a period of economic growth without job creation. A disturbing aspect of this problem is the nature of the unemployment which is skewed in favour of young persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. And, this situation has grave social implications because an observable characteristic of this group of unemployed persons is that a significant proportion of them are primary and secondary school graduates or dropouts. A good number of them are also products of monotechnics, polytechnics, universities and other specialized tertiary institutions such as Colleges of Education, Technical Colleges, Nursing Schools and so on. These idle young minds are normally restless and fertile breeding grounds for criminal and other unwholesome activities.

    This problem calls for some serious and hard thinking on the part of the managers of the economy at both the Federal and State levels of governance.

    Here are some suggestions that need serious consideration.

    The labour market needs to be more flexible and organized. A fundamental problem is that our labour market is too rigid to generate employment that can support the required GDP growth. There is no free flow of labour across markets due partly to too much adherence to “State of Origin” in public service recruitment at the state level. This explains why, for example, most northern states, despite the fact that there may be vacancies in their public service, do not engage southerners. In some cases, they even prefer Asians.

    We need to free our work schedules and salary payment systems. Work schedules and salary payment systems are too rigid in the public and in the formal private work environments. Workers of all categories are engaged in most cases on tenure bases and paid salaries on monthly basis even low-income earners like clerks, messengers, drivers, cleaners, gardeners, cooks, factory workers, etc. And, all these workers work, officially, from 8.am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. In other more organised climes, these set of low-level workers are engaged on hourly basis and paid weekly or bi-monthly and do not work on permanent basis. Employers draw from a pool and workers choice of working schedules are flexible. And, because of constant power supply, work space is 24 hours and workers are engaged in shifts allowing more persons to be engaged. This creates more avenues for employment which will further increase the potentials for higher GDP.

    We must liberalize the salary structure in our public service. Currently, our salary structure is too rigid. In the public service, a level 8 officer in Lagos earns the same salary as his counterpart in Zamfara or Edo and a professor in Ibadan, Lagos, ABU or OAU earned the same as his colleague in Akungba, Yola or Owerri. Also, it does not make economic sense for Lagos State governor to earn the same salary as the governor of Ekiti, Abia, Gombe, etc. And, the private sector takes its cue from the public sector. In the days of regional governments, public servants in Western Nigeria earn more than their colleagues at the federal level and other regions.

    The Nigerian educational system needs a complete overhaul to cater for more skills acquisition in the technical fields for the production of well-grounded craftsmen (artisans). The provision of educational opportunities in tertiary institutions like monotechnics, polytechnics and universities are necessary for young Nigerians but efforts should also be made to promote vocational education to make those not inclined to serious academic work acquire skills to fit into a modern economy. This means that in present Nigeria, artisans, for example, masons, carpenters, electricians, welders, mechanics, machinists, plumbers, and so on, should be trained in vocational technical schools rather than through the apprenticeship system.

    Nigeria should start to use some innovative programmes to promote economic activities and thereby create jobs as it is done in more matured economies. What readily comes to mind is the promotion of professional sports. This has worked very well in the United States of America (American football, lawn tennis, Basketball, Baseball, and Boxing), United Kingdom (Football, Cricket and Rugby) Brazil (Football), Cuba (Boxing), Australia (Cricket and Rugby), New Zealand (Rugby) and India (Cricket). These countries create millions of jobs for professional sportsmen and women, coaches, managers, technical and medical personnel, accountants and sport administrators; in addition, the building, maintenance and management of sports arena, create millions of jobs.

    Governments can deliberately initiate massive public works programmes to create jobs and serve as safety nets for unemployed jobless persons. These programmes can involve the building of public toilets, market outlets, urban renewal projects, urban gardening (horticulture), garbage collection, and so on. In addition, global warming induced problems can be mitigated by large scale afforestation and anti-desertification programmes creating millions of employment opportunities all over the country. These programmes can be designed to be executed in all 774 local government areas or even in all the 8,812 political wards in the country. This way there will be a deliberate policy action to stimulate economic development nationwide to ensure job creation and mitigation of rural-urban migration.

    Government can leverage on the now fledging entertainment industry, as epitomized by “Nollywood movies” to develop a huge labour-intensive industry that can create employment opportunities for educated young Nigerians. This has been accomplished successfully in India, Columbia, Brazil and Argentina, not to mention the highly developed entertainment industry in the United States of America and United Kingdom.

    The tourism industry, particularly, eco-tourism can create employment for local conservationists, tour guides, hotel and guest house workers, caterers and managers. This is in addition to jobs that can be created for managing tourist centres and game parks (reserves) as the case with South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and other eastern and southern African countries. Apart from these rural-based ecotourism centres, activities that complement urban renewal projects can be designed to attract tourists to urban areas. In this regard, the greening of urban centres can be designed. These can serve the multiple purposes of checking urban decay, reduction in global warming, reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and very importantly, create jobs for able-bodied educated youths. This could involve planting of trees, flowers as well as clearing of drainage ducts.

    Agriculture remains a key sector in the economy. Nigeria’s agriculture, which hitherto had been relying solely on natural rainfall, should be supported by irrigation to reduce the risks associated with seasonality of rainfalls and occasional drought spells. Construction of irrigation infrastructure (dams, channels, pipelines, etc.) require large dose of human labour thereby creating opportunities for large scale employment opportunities. And, the same goes with developing and organizing our agricultural storage and processing businesses.

    In the oil and gas sector, government will have to go beyond the implementation of the Local Content Act to encouraging and supporting more labour-intensive secondary industries that can spin off from crude oil and gas exploration including but not limited to those involved in the production of petrochemicals, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, plastics, petroleum products from modular refineries and household products. In the solid mineral sector, another growth area for the economy are artisanal and small mining activities that rely on labour-intensive technologies. In the area of manufacturing including SMEs, labour-intensive industries such as textile milling and metal fabrication should be supported to absorb the large pool of workers that now perpetually remain idle in the labour market.

    Government should begin to adopt the posture that investing in infrastructure is the panacea to economic growth and employment generation in our economy. Workable infrastructure will not only engender the enabling environment for economic activities, thereby creating jobs, building infrastructural facilities themselves generate employment in large numbers. For instance, building roads, rail lines, irrigation facilities and housing estates will create employment opportunities for large numbers of semi-skilled and unskilled workers.

    Akinyosoye, a retired professor of Applied Economics and Data Management is immediate past Statistician-General of the Federation.