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Tag: labour

  • Labour urges Govt to end herdsmen attacks

    The Enugu State chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has advised the Federal Government to end the attacks and killings of innocent citizens by suspected herdsmen.

    Reacting to the attack on Ndiagu Attakwu Akegbeugwu community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, where a Catholic seminarian was killed, the TUC said the attacks were “inhuman and callous”.

    In a joint statement by its State Chairman Igbokwe Chukwuma Igbokwe and Secretary Benneth Asogwa, the union noted that since security agencies were under the Federal Government, it was the responsibility of the President to direct the police, the Army and others to stop the herdsmen from further killings.

    It regretted that some people blamed the state government for the herdsmen repeated attacks on communities.

    TUC added that the attacks would continue, if the President failed to use his powers as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to stop them.

    The union urged the police and other security agencies in to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

    It hailed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for promptly visiting the community and for his efforts at maintaining peace, protecting lives and property of the residents as well as preventing the escalation of the incident.

    The statement added: “The congress condoles with families of the victims of the attack on Ndiagu Attakwu community and the people of Enugu State on the attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen. We strongly believe that the sincere intervention of the Federal Government is the only permanent solution to the incessant attacks by the herdsmen, which have threatened the peace and unity of the country.”

     

  • Economic downturn: Labour urges new strategy

    •Kaigama returns as ASCSN President

    organised labour has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to fashion a strategy that will turn the nation towards a new direction in view of the economic downturn.

    The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), at the opening of its Third Quadrennial Delegates’ Conference in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said it was obvious that the country is facing a hard time.

    ASCSN said the government needed to engage a think-tank of technocrats to chart the way forward.

    At the conference, incumbent President Bobboi Bala Kaigama, who was returned for a second term, said: “We, in the Association, believe very strongly that the time has come for our dear country to develop a new economic model that will take into consideration variables that are relevant and consistent with the Nigerian situation.”

    Kaigama, also the president of Trade Union Congress (TUC), noted that the welfare of workers should be paramount to states and Federal Government for the nation to achieve meaningful development.

    On the non-payment of workers’ salaries by many state governments, he said governors, despite owing workers still move around as if nothing is happening. He said the country has never  had it so bad.

    Kaigama said: “Many of our governors are guilty of massive looting of the treasury, thereby causing miseries in the process. There is no excuse that can be given to justify owing workers salaries for eight or nine months. It is nothing but sheer wickedness to pillage the treasury and leave workers to go home for months without salaries.”

    He charged the Federal Government to kickstart the process of paying workers at the federal level their entitlements.

    The Ogun State Governor, Senator IbikunleAmosun, pleaded with workers whom he described as the landlord to bear with the governors owing salaries, noting that the governors are not magicians, and could only pay with what is available.

    Amosun, who admitted that some states actually owe workers for several months, stressed that there is a need for the country to diversify the economy to meet the yearnings of workers.

    His words:“When things are not going well, it is appropriate for us to accept responsibility and we know that many states are having problems, which is why they cannot pay workers salaries. There is no governor that will not want to pay workers, but we have so many responsibilities on our hands.”

    Amosun said he always paid civil servants and teachers before settling other issues.

    “We spend over N4 billion monthly to pay the salaries of civil servants in the state. We also pay pensioners, and sweepers, and in doing this, I ration diesel in my office as the Governor, when there is no electricity supply,” he said.

    The National President of Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA ), Isaac Egbugara,  however, urged organised labour to end internal rift and intra-union crisis, stating that such often prevents the labour movement from exercising its right and carrying out its primary functions and objectives.

    He said: “As union leaders, we should understand that a house divided against itself cannot stand. We should learn and be determined to work and promote those values that unite us rather than the ones that divide us; to have strength to confront our common challenges, which are majorly how to improve on the condition of service of our members.

    “Unless there is unity of purpose and we shun internal squabbles and come together, trade union cannot pose a formidable opposition against the government and other employers of labour.”

  • Labour calls off strike in Kogi

    Labour calls off strike in Kogi

    The organised labour in Kogi State yesterday announced the suspension of its over six-week strike.

    State chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Onuh Edoka announced this at the Deputy Governor’s Office in Lokoja.

    The labour leader said the agreement was reached following the need to adopt the “committee’s report, which captured Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Local Government Areas (LGAs), LDEAs, tertiary institutions and pensioners”.

    He added that the report would be subjected to continuous scrutiny, with the participation of labour leaders and government representatives, to achieve an authentic payroll for the state.

    “We note the painful decision to use two banks for the payment of salaries from the bailout fund. We have agreed that subsequent payments relating to bailout or other money should not be domicilled in two banks only.

    “In order words, we resolved that salaries should be paid directly to individual accounts of choice.”

    Edoka added that part of the agreement centred on the need to review appointments at the local government level, which did not reflect the principle of seniority as contained in the “Civil Service rule”.

    “We agreed on the payment of Pay As You Earn (PAYE) to return to status quo ante, while a committee of labour and government be constituted to resolve all grey areas in line with existing laws.

    “We agreed that tax refund or tax holiday be implemented by Kogi State University and College of Education, Ankpa, in respect of all cases of over taxation as approved in 2015 for the state”, Edoka added.

    The deputy governor, Muhammad Ketso, thanked the labour leaders for their understanding and sacrifice. He said the flaunting of salary payment by government as achievement was because of the downturn in the economy.

    “It is the right of a worker to earn his wages but because of the difficulty in revenue allocation, salary payment has become a thing to attribute as achievement,” he said.

    Ketso prayed that the economic downturn will soon become a thing of the past, so that government can see development as achievement rather than salary.

    He hoped the agreement would engender lasting peace in the state.

  • Global labour union seeks special recognition for Dangote

    Global labour union seeks special recognition for Dangote

    For his investments, which have created thousands of jobs across Africa, the African Industrial Global Union has hailed the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

    The body, at a meeting in Lagos, called for a special recognition for the African entrepreneur, describing him as a success story from Africa who African countries must be proud of.

    At a network meeting on unionisation in Dangote Group, organised by the Industrial Global Union, Africa Region, in Lagos, the union leaders said Dangote has offered a relief to Africa from the negative narratives the western countries latched on to discredit the continent and her people.

    They stated that as Dangote is so patriotic as to dot African soil with billions of dollars investments, creating jobs and reducing poverty, he needs to be given special recognition to motivate others to toe similar line.

    Relishing the prospect of an African country hosting the largest refinery and petrochemicals project, the union leaders said they planned to bring the business mogul to address them at their next African meeting.

    The Regional Secretary, sub-Sahara Africa, Fabian Nkomo, said the body cherished Dangote’s business acumen and would like to work closely with him to ensure that job quality is maintained.

    He said no African has invested so much in Africa, so Dangote should be encouraged. “He has helped governments across African states to create vital jobs and reduce poverty among our people. The union is proud of him,” Nkomo stated.

    The Africa Regional Chairman of Industrial Global Union, Issa Aremu, who is also the General Secretary of Textile Workers Union, praised Dangote for leading industrialisation in the continent.

    Aremu acknowledged Dangote’s efforts at re-industrialisation of the continent, stimulating its growth and creating jobs for its huge population.

    The labour leader lauded Dangote’s commitment to sustainable industrial development, urging governments to provide favourable environment for investments and improve infrastructural development.

    He added that it was time Dangote Group entered into mutually-rewarding engagement with relevant unions even as he called on trade unions to support businesses through improved productivity.

    Aremu alluded to the $12b refinery, petrochemicals and fertilizer projects, which, he said, will be a revolution in the Nigerian industrial space when completed.

    As partners in progress, Aremu pledged  to ensure business-friendly unionisation of Dangote workers.

    He also cautioned the unions involved to be proactive and strategic in handling the exercise, saying, “We need to show that we are partners to improve on the businesses of Dangote. We are talking of unionization because there is an investment in which workers are engaged. If there are no businesses, we can’t be talking of unionism.”

    The Industrial Global Union, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, represents 50 million workers in 140 countries in the cement, mining, energy and manufacturing sectors.

  • Pay sacked Owena Motel workers, Labour tells Mimiko

    Labour has urged the Ondo State government to settle the outstanding entitlements of 187 workers of the Owena Motel, who lost their jobs, following the motel’s closure, two years ago.

    The Hotel and Personal Service Senior Staff Association (HAPSSSA) said the July 2014  closure of the hotel has been devastating as  many of the workers have died.

    “Some are in bad health conditions now; their children are out of schools while the remaining few are surviving on family and friends’ goodwill,” the union said.

    The National President,  Adeyemi Ademola, said the hotel’s closure was done verbally, without the workers being given letters of disengagement and due process.

    “To clean the stain this might cause, we advise Governor Olusegun Mimiko to address all the issues raised without delay. It should be clear that the salaries and other benefits of the workers are still accruing since their appointments were not legally terminated and we challenged him to show the contrary. Posterity is waiting by the corner, as it is never too late.

    ”What is the fate of more than 187 people employed in the hotel  who are laid-off without letters of disengagement? Is the government not compounding and increasing unemployment in the state?

    “Our findings revealed that the State Governor has sold the hotel at a mouth-watering amount to an investor for the construction of a  Shopping Mall. We considered it as a waste of public asset and destruction of heritage of the people built by founding fathers in order to provide employment for the upcoming generation,” he said.

    Ademola, who hailed the first governor of the state, Chief Adekunle Ajasin for building the hotel, said workers were locked out when the government was owing them 19 months’salary.

    The government had also failed to comply with the payment of pension, making it difficult for the workers to access any pension.

    He added that the government had failed to pay the retirement benefits and gratuity of the workers.

  • Senate seeks peaceful resolution of labour, banks’ feud

    Senate seeks peaceful resolution of labour, banks’ feud

    •Ngige: unionism is every worker’s right

    The National Assembly has called for peaceful resolution of the disagreement between labour and banks over retrenchment.

    It also praised the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, for his intervention in the matter.

    The NASS agreed with  the minister on dialoguing with all social partners to resolve the disagreement peacefully.

    At a public hearing on the emerging issues in the financial sector, Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and Finance, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, said: “We sincerely commend the Federal Government for being willing to work with the banks to find a common solution to this issue of retrenchment, which affects almost every family in Nigeria.

    “I am grateful that all of us have  agreed to dialogue and I implore you to do justice to all issues before the stakeholders’ summit coming up. I, therefore, appeal to everybody to be humble and be open in our different positions at the talks.”

    Ibrahim said the NASS was happy with the explanation by Ngige that he did not threaten that the Federal Government would withdraw licences from banks that continue to retrench workers; that it was a case of misrepresentation.

    According to Ibrahim, Ngige’s explanation made room for a convivial atmosphere for social partners to dialogue and peacefully resolve all issues.

    Ngige said steps taken by him on the issue were in defence of the Constitution, the labour laws and to safeguard the interests of parties, ensure peaceful industrial milieu for enhanced productivity in the sector.

    “The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. The Constitution is aware that we are in a society where all of us will not be equal and that everybody must be protected – big and small. That is why in Sections 14, 15 and 16 and even 17, the Constitution protects the employer, the economy and the workers,” he said.

    Ngige said it was from these provisions that the NASS enacted the labour laws on how to deal with issues of employment. ”So, all that my ministry has done is to execute and protect these laws from infractions. I acted in good faith to protect the interest of all,” he said.

    He cited petitions from unions in the financial sector, which border on unwholesome practices, the height of which was mindless retrenchment as the reason for his intervention.

    He directed the parties – the bank employers and the unions – to maintain the status quo ante-bellum through a press release on June 5, 2016, pending the resolution of the disputes.

    “We intervened in the spirit of collective bargaining. We got petitions from National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions employees (NUBIFE) on casualisation, contract staffing, poor remunerations, which are not in conformity with equal work, equal pay in our constitution, as well as ill-human conditions of service,” he explained.

    Ngige added that the ministry also received petitions on sacks without due compensation and resistant to unionisation contrary to Section 40 of the Constitution, which the ministry investigated and found them true in some banks.

    “We invited the concerned banks; they gave excuses on why they won’t honour the invitation while they continued with retrenchments. I know my rights as Minister of Labour and I will exercise those rights for the benefits of Nigerians, high and low. It is within my power to declare a truce in any industrial crisis. That was why I asked the banks don’t retrench further and the unions; don’t picket the banks so we can sit down to resolve the issues,” he said.

    According to Ngige, the labour law on redundancy says in Article 20 that if an employer negotiates redundancy and a party is dissatisfied, the Minister has the right to intervene.

    He said the law provides for the employer to disengage a worker if he cannot actually run his enterprise efficiently and effectively with a large number of staff, in which case, he will declare redundancy. It states clearly the process for doing this.

    “It says you must engage the labour unions in that industry and if it gets out of hand, the local unions will report to their national union. If they can’t resolve this, the parties, unions or the banks will refer it to the Minister of Labour for conciliation,” he said.

    The Minister corrected the impression that the Federal Government was interfering in the running of private businesses.

    Speaking on unionisation in the banks, the Minister added that the only institution in the financial sector where staff members are exempted from unionisation is the Central Bank and that no other bank in the country had the right to prevent its staff from forming a union.

    “Unionisation, according to the constitution and labour laws, is the right of workers. There are exemptions and the institutions that are exempted are clearly listed. Here, it is only Central Bank that is exempted in the banking sector.

    “And the law says again that the Minister of Labour in his wisdom can grant a waiver to any institution. I have not granted waver to any bank and I will not grant such,” Ngige added.

  • Emulate Oshiomhole on minimum wage, Labour advises governors

    Emulate Oshiomhole on minimum wage, Labour advises governors

    Organised labour in Edo State has called on other governors to emulate their Edo State counterpart Adams Oshiomhole on workers’ welfare.

    A joint statement signed by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) chairmen, Comrades Emmanuel Ademokun and Marshal Ohue described Oshiomhole as a pace setter who should be emulated for increasing workers’ salary without agitation, especially at  a time when many governors could not pay salaries.

    Oshiomhole had during the Workers’ Day celebration promised to increase the minimum wage from N18,000 to N25,000, and this was effected in workers’ salaries last month.

    Meanwhile, TUC has urged leaders to be upright and God fearing.

    In a statement signed by its  President Comrade Bobboi Kaigama to mark the Eid-el-Fitri celebration, TUC called on the leaders to learn from the lessons of Ramadan, which are to be upright and honest for Nigeria to compete with other nations.

    “One of the things fasting does is that it humbles you and helps check acts of ungodliness. It is rather unfortunate that what we have had over the years is that people claim a form of godliness during fasting, but turn otherwise on its completion.

    ‘’The leadership of our dear country and politicians have a lot to learn here, and we encourage them to do so. This is the period we must match our words with action,” the statement said.

    Continuing, he said: “We all should understand that our purpose in life here is to live in obedience to our creator’s will and make other people happy.We all must take advantage that the celebration has provided the opportunity to pray for the return of peace in the country; an end to terrorism and every form of disaster and the gross waste of our national assets by the militants. Peace and development are like Siemens twins, which is what we need in Nigeria of our dream.”

    Kaigama called on Muslims faithful to remain self-disciplined, work for the progress of the country and accommodate every Nigerian irrespective of their religious orientation as these appear to be the only recipe for development.

  • Labour flays tenure abolition for Perm Secs, Directors

    Labour flays tenure abolition for Perm Secs, Directors

    The Federal Government’s sudden decision to abolish the tenure policy for Permanent Secretaries and Directors in the Public Service has not gone down well with  the orgAnised labour

    The organised labour, under the aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), has, therefore, urged the Federal Government to halt the plan and summon a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the issue.

    The tenure policy, which started in 2009, under the late President, UmaruYar’Adua, stipulated two terms of four years for Permanent Secretaries and a single tenure of eight years for Directors.

    In a statement issued in Lagos, during the week, ASCSN National President Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and the Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, said incessant policy somersaults if not checked,  may destroy the cherished norms in the public service.

    The union noted that few months ago, the Federal Government recruited non-serving officers, some of whom were above 60 years, as Permanent Secretaries in violation of the Public Service Rules (PSR).

    “This is in a situation where there are highly skilled, educated, and knowledgeable civil servants who should have been elevated to these exalted positions.

    “All appeals by this union to the government to reverse the appointments and promote senior civil servants who have served the nation meritoriously for decades to the posts of Permanent Secretaries were treated with contempt,” Kaigama said.

    He noted that in February, a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resource, who was to retire on February 17, 2016 had her service extended to February 2017, while other Permanent Secretaries exited.

  • Court adjourns Oyo, labour suit till July 12

    Court adjourns Oyo, labour suit till July 12

    THE Ibadan Division of the National Industrial Court (NIC) has adjourned ruling in an application filed by the Oyo State Government in the suit seeking to stop the ongoing workers’ strike.

    The government had applied to withdraw and substitute a motion against the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

    The government sought the leave of the court to withdraw the motion seeking the court’s injunction to stop the workers’ strike.

    But the teachers union urged the court to dismiss the application.

    Counsel to the teachers union, Waheed Olajide, said the application required notice, which the claimant did not comply with in line with Order 19 Rule 17 (1) of the NIC 2007.

    Joined in the suit as respondents are the NLC, its Oyo State chapter and the state TUC.

    Counsels to other respondents did not oppose the application.

    The Director of Civil Litigation, Oyo State Ministry of Justice and Advisory Services, Mr. S.O. Adeoye, brought the application for withdrawal of the suit.

    Adeoye said the government wished to join in six respondents in the substituted suit.

    But Olajide said the claimant could not have multiplicity of actions against the same person.

    He said: “We are objecting to the withdrawal based on the fact that the required notice was not given and the claimant did not comply with Order 19 Rule 17 (1) of the NIC.

    “We have also joined issue by filing preliminary objections contesting the jurisdiction of the court and the competence of the suit.”

    According to the lawyer, justice is not only meant for one party, but for all parties involved.

    He added: “We are contending at this stage that the appropriate order is an order of dismissal and not of substitution.”

    Adeoye, however, opposed the objection, saying the proceeding was for the hearing of a motion on notice and not for the substantive matter.

    According to him, the submission of the respondent is an attempt to mislead the court.

    Justice Faustina Kola-Olalere adjourned ruling on the application for withdrawal to July 12.

    Workers in the state had on June 13 embarked on industrial action to protest the alleged non-payment of over five months’ salaries.

  • Oyo govt vs Labour: Who blinks first?

    Oyo govt vs Labour: Who blinks first?

    The last two weeks have been tough in Oyo State. The government and the workers have been sparring over sundry issues, especially salary and schools’ ownership. Some labour leaders arraigned for allegedly disrupting a stakeholders meeting in education and destroying government property.

    The aggrieved labour leaders called out workers on an indefinite strike. Secondary school pupils protested alleged plan to ‘sell’ public schools.

    They were caused by the goverment’s decision to partner with some stakeholders on the management of some public schools as a way of improving quality of learning in public schools.

    The government on May 31, in an advertorial, published an advertisement invited interested stakeholders to apply for partnership in managing some schools. The advertisement also invited all interested stakeholders to a meeting slated for June 1.

    But operating on the belief that the initiative was aimed at selling off public schools, labour leaders went to the venue and protested  that government was planning to sell the schools under the guise of the planned Public Private Partnership (PPP). They also led protest disrupt to the stakeholders’ meeting held the following day.

    Government reschedule the meeting to the following week. Law enforcement agents arrested seven of the labour leaders including the Oyo State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Waheed Olojede.

    They were arraigned the following day and granted bail the same day. But the bail conditions could not be fully met until Monday. They spent the weekend in Agodi Prison, Ibadan.

    While in detention, their colleagues served a seven-day ultimatum on the government to clear salary arrears and drop the charges against their leaders or face an indefinite strike.

    After their leaders lease, labour ordered workers to begin indefinite strike last Tuesday.

    Since then, workers have stayed away, while government closed down public schools indefinitely to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

    But the stakeholders meeting was held on last Wednesday with labour and teachers shunning the talk shop which held under tight security.

    At the meeting, however, Governor Abiola Ajimobi appealed to stakeholders for the embarrassment of the previous week while acknowledging that the government might have made some mistakes in its approach to the initiative.

    Since then, there has been a stalemate. Government has stuck to the project and continues to engage interested corporate organisations, individuals and communities. It insisted that it would not interfere in the affairs of the court but indicated willingness to move forward. Labour has also rolled out the conditions government must meet before participating in any dialogue or ending the strike.

    The NLC insisted that the government must drop the charges against its leaders, clear all salary arrears and abandon or review the school management initiative.

    The situation will compound the poor financial condition of the government and also put ordinary workers in more severe financial straits as they have only been paid till December, last year.

    While insisting that some people are deliberately misleading the public on the idea, the Special Adviser to Governor Ajimobi on Communication and Strategy, Mr Yomi Layinka, explained that the initiative was still at the preparatory stage, not yet a government policy.

    Layinka emphasized that the idea was not about returning schools to missionaries or sell to anyone but to partner with willing communities, corporate bodies and others that can raise the quality of learning.

    His words: “This initiative is not about returning schools to anybody. The government is simply inviting all interested stakeholders (not necessarily former owners, missionaries and communities) to partner with it in the sustainable management of public secondary schools.

    “We are NOT ceding, selling or privatizing public schools. The government’s intention is to partner with interested stakeholders who wish to support the government in the management of these schools. They may be alumni associations, communities, or philanthropists.

    “Presumably less than 10 per cent of the 631 public secondary schools in Oyo State are likely to be involved in this partnership.”

    Layinka added that the initiative would not take education out of the reach of the poor because “government will moderate fees in the affected schools to ensure affordability, apart from the availability of alternatives within the same environment, whose facilities will also undergo facility upgrade.”

    He added: “ The beauty of the proposed partnership is that students in the schools likely to be affected is that current students from JSS II to SSS III will continue to enjoy free education and not pay school fees until they graduate.”

    In the fate of those schools not captured in the project, Layinka explained: “All public schools in Oyo State are currently undergoing assessment and improvements, not only in the areas of infrastructure but even in terms of curricular development.

    “The recently introduced N1,000 education levy in public schools is meant for this purpose in addition to other investments intended for their upgrade and development.”

    The government spokesman added that the planned programme is open to all senatorial districts of the state, without restriction to any particular areas.

    Layinka further explained that the idea had been undertaken in Lagos, Ogun, and many eastern states. “They have successfully run various partnership models that ensure the engagement/support of the private sector working alongside their respective ministries of education.”

    He added: “The main reason is to allow for the participation of interested stakeholders in the management of our secondary schools for the greater good of our students, their parents/ guardians as well as our education management system.”

    Speaking about fears of possible religious conflicts, he said: “There shouldn’t be any fears. The government intends to ensure freedom of religious preferences through  its regulatory mechanisms and shall stoutly resist any form of religious imposition or intolerance. Our religious diversity will be maintained.”

    Also explaining how staff will not be negatively affected by the initiative, Layinka emphasized: “Fist of all, all teachers are at liberty to choose between staying with their present employer (government) and whoever the partnering entity becomes. In either case, such employee/employer issues can easily be sorted out on terms and conditions that are mutually agreeable to both parties. Suffice to say that government will not leave any teacher at the mercy of any of its partners since government will always remain an active regulator of the relationships and standards of engagement.”

    However, labour leaders are not yet showing signs they want to back down on their demands even as Ajimobi insisted that they must apologize for allegedly disrupting the stakeholders’ meeting. The government also condemned the strike, saying it did not follow laid down guidelines.

    In the coming days, the public is expecting some surprises from, particularly the government, with many also looking in the way of elders across the state to intervene ending the logjam.