The Nation Newspaper

Tag: labour

  • Unemployment: Labour faults NBS’ statistics

    Unemployment: Labour faults NBS’ statistics

    Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, has disagreed with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that the number of the unemployed has dropped from 16.07 million in 2011 to 4.67 million at the end of last year’s fourth quarter.

    Speaking on the NBS statistics, Kaigama said: “My reaction is simple: I don’t believe the statistics of the NBS. Let them tell us where and in which organisations the jobs were created.”

    The General Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Bayo Olowoshile, said the NBS is economical with the truth. He disagreed with the agency, saying that the statistics was not done with the sincerity of purpose and the government should not rely on it.

    It would be recalled that the NBS said it had revised the country’s labour statistics, stating that as a result, the number of those unemployed had dropped from 16.07 million or 23.9 per cent in 2011 to 4.67 million or 6.4 per cent as at the end of the fourth quarter of last year.

    The bureau had in September 2014 constituted a committee of experts and stakeholders to review the definition and methodology applied in computing unemployment statistics in the country.

    This was aimed at assessing the current definition of unemployment in the context, and consequently recommending a new appropriate definition for computing unemployment rate and other labour related indicators in the country.  This is to ensure that it was in line with internationally agreed standards and satisfying local conditions.

    Historically, the NBS defined unemployed as the proportion of the labour force that did no work at all or worked less than 40 hours a week.

    This, however, presents a major challenge, as those who work for less than 40 hours are classified as unemployed.

    The International Labour Organisation uses one hour a week as the benchmark as opposed to the 40 hours used by the NBS

    But following the recommendation of the committee, which was chaired by Prof. Sarah Anyanwu of the University of Abuja, the NBS has adopted 20 hours per week in computing the unemployment rate.

    In the revised statistics, the total labour force at the end of the fourth quarter of last year was put at 72.93 million.

    Out of this figure, according to the bureau, the number of those that are fully employed (40 hours and above) was 55.206 million or 75.68 per cent; underemployed (20 to 39 hours) at 13.05 million or 17.89 per cent; and unemployed (one to 19 hours) at 3.14 million or 4.3 per cent.

    The report said 1.52 million people, representing 2.08 per cent, were currently not engaged in any economic activity, implying that their working hour was zero.

  • Labour to Buhari: Reduce cost of governance

    Labour to Buhari: Reduce cost of governance

    • Urges lawmakers to follow suit

    The organised labour has urged the incoming administration of President-Elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to drastically reduce the high cost of governance by cutting irrelevant expenses. Labour particularly harped on the need to cut down on political appointments, adding that the current situation where lawmakers fix their salaries and allowances must be discouraged and discontinued.

    The workers, under the aegis of Chemical and Non-Metallic Senior Staff Association (CANMPSSA), at its First Quadrennial Delegate Conference in Sango Ota, Ogun State, warned Buhari against making the same mistake of the outgoing administration.

    CANMPSSA National President, Comrade Abdul Gafar Mohammed, who was re-elected for another four years at the conference, lamented that the high cost of governance has continued to weigh down the economy.

    “We call on Mr. President to take urgent steps to address the issue of the remuneration of political office holders,”he said, noting that the president must use the opportunity  to deal decisively with the matter that has put the nation in an unfavourable economic climate. “It is clear to us that the creation of a new Nigeria, which is equitable, just and development-oriented, is not possible if this issue is not addressed and resolved. Our legislator and indeed, our elected public officers’ pay must reflect the reality of the average earnings in the economy,” he added.

    Comrade Mohammed said a case where one of the serving governors was reported to have disengaged over 2,000 aides was appalling. He, however, called for salaries of political office holders to be moved to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to ensure probity.

    “There is a need for the settling of the salaries of political office holders to be moved to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission so that the same underlying parameters can be used in establishing guidelines for all public sector employees and elected officers,” he maintained.

    The  CANMPSSA boss said corruption is at the root of many of Nigeria’s problems. “Corruption takes many forms and infiltrates all political institutions and economic sectors. Corruption has not only impinged on the nation’s economy, but also battered our image among the comity of nations. Huge allocations running into billions and trillions of naira are made to power development, roads, agriculture, and other sectors annually without measurable and meaningful corresponding achievement,” he said.

    On its part, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has frowned at the way  public office holders pay themselves severance benefits running into billions of naira without addressing the legitimate concerns of the workers on pension and gratuity.

    Speaking after the national executive council meeting of TUC, its president, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama said: “We want to call on the incoming government to drastically reduce the high cost of governance in the country.”

    He said there is also the need to cut down on political appointments and that the situation whereby lawmakers fix their own salaries and allowances be discouraged and discontinued. “We encourage lawmakers to follow suit,” he said, calling for a review of the salaries and allowances of workers.

    “The council has noted with serious concern that the minimum wage of N18, 000.00, which is less than $90 has not been implemented in some states. In particular, the congress condemns all the state governments owing workers’ salaries, as it is unhealthy for the nation. The Congress-in-session calls on the incoming government to restore payment of gratuity along with pension,” Kaigama said.

  • Wrongful dismissal:  Lawyers want labour laws reviewed

    Wrongful dismissal:  Lawyers want labour laws reviewed

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch has held its 2015 Continuous Legal Education Programme, a platform  intended to sharpen the skills of its members and make them more knowledgeable about new developments around the world. The two-day programme, which focussed on various aspects of the law, was attended by justices of the Court of Appeal, judges of the High Court of Lagos State, the National Industrial Court (NIC) and other legal practitioners, reports ADEBISI ONANUGA

    Legal practittioners, including justices of the Court of Appeal, judges of the High Court of Lagos State and the National Industrial Court (NIC) and other lawyers converged on Ikeja, penultimate week to sharpen their skills, share knowledge in new areas of their profession and exchange ideas in order to keep themselves abreast of developments around the world.

    The occasion was the two-day continuous legal education programme (CLEP) of the NBA Ikeja branch. The programme, which  held at the at Adetiloye Hall of Arch Bishop Vining Memorial Cathederal Church, Ikeja, afforded the legal practioners oportunity to  examine new areas of the laws, review basic practice and trial principles.

    The lead speaker and expert on labour laws and industrial relations, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), in his 34-page presentation, dealt essentially on “the termination of private employment, employment with statutory flavour on grounds of misconduct  with or without element of crime: How validly done; effect of such termination on employee’s  entitlements, legal remedies available to such employees,  Defences Available to the Employer, Impact of section 12 of the National Industrial Court Act 2006 allowing departure from applicability of Evidence Act to Labour     litigation”.

    Owonikoko, who enumerated the type of employment available in Nigeria to include employment made under the common law, employment with statutory flavour, employment where office is held at pleasure of employer and hybrid employment, said the crux of his paper was specifically on the determination of employment, that is, how to put an end to working relationship between employer and employee. Pointing out that there are just two ways by which an employment relationship can come to an end, he explained that determination of employment can either   be by termination or dismissal.

    The senior advocate took time to explain the determination of employment under the different types of employment available to employees. He explained that the effect of termination of employment under both private/common law employment and statutory employment generally, is that there ceases to be a contractual relationship between the parties and that, neither of the parties are bound by the terms of the employment contract.

    Citing various authorities to support his submissions, Owonikoko dealt extensively on legal remedies available to employees after determination of employment, which include remedy of damages and entitlement to a remedy of re-instatement. On how to challenge wrongful determination of employment, the erudite lawyer said “the omnibus provision of section 254(c) (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), gives the NIC original jurisdiction to hear matters involving employment determination. It thus follows that the appropriate court with jurisdiction to hear matters of this nature is the NIC and that the procedure to follow is to come by way of a General Writ of Complaint.

    The senior lawyer, however, identifies a gap in the employment laws,  which he noted, does not make for fairness in employment relationships, that is in the area of wrongful dismissal. According to him, injustice exists in the Nigerian labour market.

    According to him, the courts, the employment and labour laws are yet to adequately embrace the challenge of unfair dismissal as contrasted with wrongful dismissal. He explained that unfair dismissal covers a whole range of unspoken, but apparent ill motivated grounds for causing an employee to lose his or her job. He stated that generally in Nigeria, motive is not a ground for contesting termination of employment. He said employer can terminate for good or bad or no reason at all.

    ”Except for the omnibus of Section 42 of the Constitution, there does not appear to be  clear labour employment specific law in Nigeria that protects employees from unfair termination as a result of discrimination on grounds of sex, age, religion, ethnic group, gender, birth and HIV status, among others.

    “This lacuna in our laws should be given urgent attention, especially as we transit into a new era of change with the in-coming administration of the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the federal level that has made job creation as one of its cardinal manifesto commitments,” he said.

    Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), in his paper titled: “Preferring and Quashing Bare Charges, Holding Charges, Remand Charges etc”,  citing relevant authority, said it is only when an accused pleads either guilty or not guilty to a charge as the case may be, that issues are joined in a criminal trial. He said until this happens, the accused person is technically outside the pale of the court’s jurisdiction”.

    On the effect of making an application to quash a charge, the senior lawyer pointed out that “any objection to a formal defects in the charge should be taken before plea, otherwise the objection is taken as having been waived.

    Citing Section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Act, Pinheiro counselled lawyers that a want of jurisdiction, which ordinarily could be raised at any stage of the trial, is better raised before plea is taken.  He said in other jurisdiction, either party may move to quash either the whole of the indictment or a count. “The obvious time for doing so is before the accused is arraigned, although it would be seem that the defence may make the application at any stage of the trial,”he said.

    He explained that the effect of a successful application is that the accused may not be tried for the indictment (or particular count to which the motion relates). “However, this does not mean that the accused is thereby acquitted,” he said.

    An accused person, according to Pinheiro,  does not have to enter the dock when challenging a charge preferred against him, even if present in court. Citing an authority to support his view, the senior lawyer posited that the appellant can only be ordered by the learned judge to enter the dock and plead to the charges when he had heard full arguments on the objection and ruled one way or the other.

    Titilola Akinlawon (SAN), in her paper titled: “Adoption of Children: National and International Perspective”, said   it is impossible to adopt a child without a court order. According to her, “a mere agreement in which a parent seeks to transfer his rights and  duties to someone else, is ineffective and will not be recognised as an adoption. The idea of defacto adoption, that is, an arrangement where the child lives permanently with people, who have put themselves in “loco parentis” to the child is ineffective to give the carer, parental responsibility to remove that of his parents”.

    Akinlawon explained that the Child Rights Act 2003 addresses children generally, but has specific provisions relating to adoption. She explained that Section 277 of the Act defines a child as a person under 18 years while Section 128 provides for when a court can make an order for adoption of a child and listed children that could be adopted to include those with no surviving parent or those abandoned, neglected, persistently abused or ill treated, and that for which there are compelling reason in the interest of the children on why they should be adopted.

    The senior lawyer, however, clarified that provisions of Sections 145(1) and 131(1)(b),(c) and (d) put it beyond doubt that inter-country adoption is not allowed under the Child Rights Act.

    She explained that  allowing inter-country adoption would undermine the current effort by the government as well as non-governmental organizations to combat the rising spate of child trafficking.

    Earlier, Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade had stressed the need for lawyers to continuously update their knowledge of the law. She said this has become necessary if they must be abreast of developments in the legal circle around the world.

    Justice Atilade who declared open the two-day Interactive seminar which has as theme, “Sustaining the Tempo of Cutting Edge Professionalism”   said, “there is no limit to education. We must try at all time to meet all standards in international and domestic law practice. This is the only way we can ensure that we are current and up-to-date as members of the  legal profession”, she stressed.

    Justice Atilade remarked that the just concluded Commonwealth Law Conference held in Glasgow and at which she was in attendance, was part of the international effort to develop the profession and its practitioners.

    The Lagos Chief Judge commended the quality of papers delivered by Nigerian lawyers who were speakers at the conference saying that they exhibited high intellectual capacity.

    While commending the NBA for the seminar, she advised then to organize more of such retraining programme for their members in order for them to be able to discharge their  functions in the best way possible.

    Earlier in a welcome address, the chairman of the branch, Yinka Farounbi explained that the programme was intended to refresh and update legal practioners with new knowledge and modern day practice.

    Farounbi expressed confidence that by the end of the programme,  participants would have learnt new developments and abreast of new methods of litigation and adjudication.

     

     

     

  • Labour seeks retention of credible ministers, DGs

    Labour seeks retention of credible ministers, DGs

    The President–elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, has been urged to reappoint ministers and director-generals (DGs) who performed well in the outgoing administration, adding that his attention should be focused on job creation, corruption and security.

    In an interviw with The Nation, TUC President, Trade Union Congress, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, said the president-elect should look beyond his party when appointing his cabinet members.

    According to him, credibility and qualitative performance should be used as criteria for appointments.

    He said though successes had been recorded by the administration, there were more grounds to cover. He listed some of the areas as terrorism, violence, hate speeches, corruption, devaluation of the naira, casualisation of workers, outsourcing, unemployment, poor healthcare facilities, and infrastructure.

    He noted that as the government prepares to hand over to a new one later this month, the working class, must crystalise to consolidate the  democratic gains and economic progress and march on to new horizons.

    He said the world acknowledges that Nigeria is a great nation, but that many have lost hope due to decades of looting of the national treasury by a privileged few who have subjected the majority of the nation’s populace to untold hardship.

    On the contribution of workers to national development, he said that the labour movement had been involved in national conferences and committees set up by governments at various levels to fashion out ways for the growth and development of the nation, adding that at the National Conference held last year, the Congress presented a comprehensive position paper that canvassed the views of workers on national and international issues.

    Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Non-Academic Staff Union of University (NASU) has urged the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the challenges in the education sector.

    The JAC, which comprises members of the National Association of Academic Technologist (NAAT) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU),  spoke at a briefing in Abuja.

    At the event, Comrade Chijioke Ugwuoke of  SSANU, Mrs Ladi Iliya of NASU and Alhaji Sani Suleiman of NAAT criticised the Federal Government for the non-implementation of its agreement with non-teaching staff of universities in 2009, adding that it deferred its strike as a mark of respect for the president-elect.

    “We heartily congratulate the president-elect for the electoral victory, but wish to remind him that he is inheriting debilitating labour issues in the universities,” they said.

    The JAC listed some of the problems in the sector as the sack of 58 staff of Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, the crisis in the Abia State University, Uturu, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

    Other are: the funding of universities’ primary schools and secondary schools, and the non-payment of earned allowances, which was part of the 2009 agreement.

  • Labour issues awaiting Buhari’s government

    Labour issues awaiting Buhari’s government

    As this year’s Worker’s Day draws nearer, Yetunde Oladeinde takes a look at the numerous challenges facing the Nigerian labour force, even as it eagerly awaits the newly elected government at the centre.

    In a couple of days workers all over the country would be rolling out the drums to celebrate this year’s Worker’s Day. The big question however is whether the average Nigerian worker has any cause to celebrate. A number of challenges still bedevil the Nigerian workforce, ranging from unemployment to casualisation.

    It is therefore pertinent to take another look at some of the labour issues awaiting the in-coming government of General Muhammad Buhari, especially as it concerns the ordinary man and the downtrodden workers, who are hinging their hopes on his genuine intentions.

    In the past, workers have asked for increase in their salaries because the take-home pay usually does not meet their needs. Added to this is the realisation that many states across the country are facing serious economic crunch, which is biting hard on their workforce. On the front burner therefore is the issue of unpaid salaries to civil servants in several states.

    Apart from Lagos and Rivers states which, financial analysts say, are able to meet their financial challenges, for obvious reasons, the other 34 states literally depend solely on allocations from the Federal Government for survival.

    The situation is so bad that some states are owing as much as five to ten months salaries, giving rise to protests, and protest votes, a la Benue State, in the last elections. Osun State workers have also threatened to boycott this year’s celebration.

    As a temporary measure, some governors have had to turn to banks for loans to pay salaries, while some workers have had to make do with half salaries; and some have received nothing for months.

    Worst still is the alarming rate of unemployment in the country, as the figures keep rising without any appreciable cushioning efforts.

    “Sadly,” says Nnamdi Orji, an unemployed citizen, “corruption in both public and private, as well as at individual levels and industrial decay and neglect of the agricultural sector are among the many factors responsible for this scourge. It was also revealed that widespread poverty, youth restiveness, high rate of social vices and criminal activities are prevalent because of joblessness. If left controlled, apathy, cynicism and revolution might become their consequence.”

    He adds that: “The recruitment scam that ravaged the Immigration Service last year is very disturbing and I pray that things like this don’t happen again. Unfortunately, the intrigues and alleged sharp practices in the recruitment process of immigration service is far from being an isolated case. It actually depicts the rot and deliberate disregard for justice, equity and good conscience in the employment process, particularly in public service. The truth of the matter is that there is hardly any public service recruitment that is anchored significantly on merit. Rather, ethnocentric and other discriminatory considerations and god-fatherism are elevated over and above merit and patriotic zeal.

    Instead of applying and looking for jobs that are not available, a lot of our citizens have resorted to accepting casual jobs for survival. Casualisation in both the private and the public sectors is therefore one other area that should be addressed to improve the standard of living of the average Nigerian worker, as it seems employers are taking advantage of the situation. Sadly, the trend has exposed so many Nigerian workers to abuse, while some lost their lives in the process.

    Some of these unpleasant incidents have prompted the organised labour to query organisations and those involved with the aim of getting justice and compensation. This also gave birth to another trend where some foreign companies avoid unionisation in their organisations.

    “Interestingly, contract employment and casualisation of labour contravene Section 7 (1) of the Labour Act, Cap 198, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1990.

    The law provides that, “not later than three months after the beginning of a worker’s period of employment with an employer, the employer shall give the worker a written statement, specifying the terms and conditions of employment.”

    Recently, the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) threatened to down-tools without further notice to Chinese construction firms over what it termed unfair labour practices in Nigeria, particularly the casualisation of workers at their sites and offices.

    In addition, the organised private sector unions have accused employers of hiding behind what they call the ‘core’ value of their businesses to casualise over 70 per cent of their workers.

    “The  growing culture of casualisation by employers is more common in banks and other financial institutions, insurance firms, food and beverage companies as well as in the printing and publishing sectors of the economy”, informs Assistant General Secretary of the National Union of Textile Garment Workers of Nigeria, Comrade Ismail Bello.

    He submitted that work environment in Nigeria will become a lot livelier and more rewarding if the issue of casualisation is nipped in the bud.

    Adebimpe Nasiru, a Lagos-based businesswoman believes the current insecurity challenge in the country is another crucial situation the incoming government must tackle for overall development and growth of the economy.

    “The productivity of the Nigerian worker will only blossom and compete favourably with that of their counterparts in other countries if the current insecurity situation is addressed.”

    For Folarin Kasali, the quality of the workforce can be improved with better welfare packages and initiatives. “The truth of the matter here is that human resources can make or mar any organisation and nation. Government needs to invest in the citizenry and workforce to get the best from them.”

    Like Kasali, Uche Agba, an economist says the provision of employment opportunities and good socio-economic infrastructures is very important at this stage. ‘Once people have jobs, you will fill the impact on the economy and we would not have the kind of disaster and scandal experienced at last year’s immigration recruitment scam. In addition, creating infrastructures like processing hubs for our entrepreneurs would reduce the cost of production. It would also help to create more jobs for our artisans on a daily basis. A lot of people in this category have abandoned their skills for commercial motorcycle and tricycle business.”

    To this effect, Agba says it is important for the new NLC president, Ayuba Wabba and his team to reposition the union and seek the review of Nigeria’s industrial policy towards massive job creation.

    In the view of Oyebisi Babatunde Oluseyi, executive director NNGO, “There is a need to look at government/Civil Society Organisations relationship. It is important to look at the regulations and the environment to see how things can improve. Issues like access to credit, taxation and money-laundering all need to be assessed critically. The new government means new opportunity to engage and it would be a great idea to have an adviser on CSO. We used to have this position during the Obasanjo regime but it was scrapped.”

    Over the years, trade unions have become important agents of socioeconomic transformation and class struggle. This role actually began from the period of the colonial struggle and continued till the post independence and military era. They have recently been in the forefront of struggles against unpopular government policies and actions on workers’ welfare and wage issues.

  • Xenophobic attacks: Labour calls for evacuation of Nigerians

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to evacuate Nigerians from South Africa as a result of the ongoing xenophobic attacks.

    Its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, in a statement, picked holes in the recent directive of the government asking Nigerians to remain indoors.

    He said: “Asking them to remain indoors is not safe as they could unleash mayhem on them even in their houses. It is the government’s responsibility to protect its nationals both internal and external. We must not shirk our responsibility to our citizens wherever they are.”

    Kaigama described the xenophobic attacks as appalling, abysmal and beastly, imploring the Jacob Zuma-led administration to live up to its responsibilities by taking all necessary measures to stop the act of stealing, killing and taking over of people’s properties in Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria.

    TUC added that Nigerians have not and will not kill any South African in Nigeria in spite of several aborted efforts to unionise workers in South African companies including telecoms giant, MTN and  DSTV which are thriving in Nigeria.

    “Congress is aware of a number of Nigerian investors who went to invest in South Africa but ran back, abandoning acquired properties because they could not cope with their strict labour laws. Nigeria is a country that accommodates all and sundry including South Africa and South Africans and today, we see this rare opportunity being grossly abused.

    “They own several multi-billion dollar investments on our soil yet, we co-exist despite all odds. The same people will come here to dehumanise Nigerians. Not anymore. This must stop! This sacrifice is becoming too grave to bear and over-stretched all to ensure peaceful co-existence,” TUC said.

    He said it is true that the government of South Africa as well as other countries of the world have condemned the attacks, yet, labour demand that the government investigate and punish those involved in accordance with the provisions of the law of the land.

    ”We should also use this opportunity to let the world know that South African owned companies in Nigeria are anti-labour in their operations.

    “Several efforts have been made to unionise MTN, DSTV, and others all to no avail which cannot happen in their country. Congress is aware of a number of Nigerian investors who went to invest in South Africa but ran back abandoning acquired properties because they could not cope with their strict labour laws,” he said.

  • Don’t dabble into labour’s affairs, NLC faction warns govt

    The aggrieved faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the new Minister of Labour and Productivity not to hastily dabble into the internal affairs of trade union movement.

    Factional President of the NLC, Comrade Joe  Ajero urged the ministry to also respect the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 87 and 98 with respect to the rights of workers to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

    “The Central Working Committee (CWC) re-affirms the commitment of the NLC to defend the rights of workers to freedom of association and collective bargaining as enshrined in our constitution and labour laws and explicitly reaffirms the commitment to uphold ILO convention 87 and 98,” Ajaero said.

    The group also warned the Federal Government over plans to lay off workers in the public sector, adding that this will deepen the unemployment crisis.

    His said: “The CWC in session noted the moves by the Federal Government to commence the implementation of the Orosanye Report on merger of Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    “Labour would resist an attempt to hide under the implementation of a controversial committee report to lay off workers in the public sector and deepen unemployment crisis. We also observe that some states as well as some federal agencies own salaries for many months. Delayed payment of salaries is wage theft and is unacceptable.”

    Ajaero said the devaluation of the naira has impacted negatively on local manufacturing because many factories depend on imported inputs, leading to increased prices of goods and services.

    “We want to express our deep concern about the unending and free fall of the naira against international currencies and the implications for industrial production, job security and the disposable income of workers,” he said.

    The unionist pointed out that the growth and development of the real sector and increased value addition in manufacturing are critical for creation of mass decent jobs, elimination of poverty and for building a virile and sustainable economy.

  • South African, labour fail to reach agreement on pay

    South African, labour fail to reach agreement on pay

    South Africa’s public service unions and the government failed to reach agreement in pay talks, increasing the risk of a strike.

    “Our analysis is very simple: The government want a strike so they can unilaterally implement the offer that is on the table and that won’t be accepted,” Mugwena Maluleke, general secretary for the South African Democratic Teachers Union, said by phone from Johannesburg. “An amicable solution is the best for everyone, including the people of South Africa who make use of public services. A strike must be the last resort,” he said.

    Labor unions representing 1.3 million public-service employees are demanding a 10 percent pay increase this year, while the government has offered half that, setting the stage for possible strikes. The inflation rate was 3.9 per cent last month.

    Brent Simons, a spokesman for the Department of Public Service and Administration, wasn’t available for comment.

  • ‘Why Labour couldn’t field presidential candidate’

    ‘Why Labour couldn’t field presidential candidate’

    Mrs. Olufolahon Olubusola Emmaneul Tella was one of the presidential aspirants on the ticket of the Labour Party. She told Tony Akowe in Abuja, why her party could not produce a candidate in yesterday’s presidential election and other national issues like her plans on solving the unemployment problem, Boko Haram and other issues, including her vision of becoming Nigeria’s president this year. Excerpts

    You were supposed to be a candidate in yesterday’s elections, but as it stands now, you were not. What went wrong?

    Last year, the Labour Party had a national convention and just as you know; it is at the national convention that the presidential candidate emerges. On October 11, we had the convention where the new national executive emerged. However, a second national convention could not hold because of the funds. It costs about N200 million to fund a national convention. The convention is normally funded by the party and if it is big enough, it will just take the funds from the account and also task some members of the party holding positions. The Labour Party is one of the big parties in Nigeria, but we could not do a second national convention and so, there was no presidential candidate emerging because of the funding.

    We are aware that the Labour Party is divided at the moment because the founding fathers of the party, the NLC and TUC did warn against holding the convention. So, which faction of the party do you belong to?

    NLC and TUC are Executive members of the party in accordance with the constitution. However, as a party, the Labour Party still stands. There was an election on October 11 which produced an executive and that executive is still in place.

    In other words, you don’t recognise the Caretaker Committee put in place by Organised Labour?

    There is no caretaker committee; what we have is a national executive.

    But organised Labour has a caretaker committee in place for the party.

    NLC as I said is an executive member. An executive member cannot put in place a caretaker committee. It has to be the executive that runs the affairs of the party.

    You said in your profile that you heard clearly from God that you will be President of Nigeria in 2015

    Is it not a contradiction that God told you you will be President in 2015 and yet, you were not a candidate in the elections?

    There are many ways God works. It was natural for me to be an aspirant, but is that the way that God wants to handle things. The natural mind says go and get the nomination form and do this and that. That was the natural mind. That was why we even bothered to write the expression of interest. From the look of things, that is not the way God wants things done. We will still do things the way God wants. This is the beginning of 2015 are watching to see how things will happen.

    You think you will still be President in 2015?

    According to God’s plan

    Will that not be God creating confusion in the mind of his people?

    God does not create confusion. What God does is that before something happens, He has already planned it years ahead. For example, when children of Abraham were to go to Egypt and be slaves for 400 years, God even planned it before Abraham had one son. So, God has a way of planning things and He has a way of executing His plans.

    Before the commencement of the General Elections, there was the allegation that INEC has not done enough to hold the election, especially in the area of the PVC.

    In 2011, INEC did a good job. However, the plan and schedule of events is where I fault INEC. As at 2013, I believe the INEC should have given those registered voters their Permanent Voters Cards. By December 2014, it is those who have just turned 18 or those who have changed their addresses or were not able to register in 2011 that INEC should have been focusing on now. That is one area where I fault INEC. The shift in the election gave INEC ample time to ensure that everybody who registered actually get his PVC.

    Use of Card Reader was a major controversy before the commencement of the elections. What is your take on that?

    Card Reader is a technological improvement. It is an excellent way of ensuring transparency in voting. So, it is necessary to use it because it is an improvement over 2011.

    But some people believe that the people who are supposed to take charge of this Card Readers have not done their job and not experienced in handling it.

    Maybe you would have been right on that point in February. But now that INEC had six weeks extension, people who need to be trained were trained. I learnt that about 700,000 people were trained. So, I believe that using the Card Reader is an excellent thing to do.

    What is your take on the state of the Nigerian nation at the moment?

    The insecurity in the land is still worrisome. I believe that the way the government is handling Boko Haram is good, but not good enough. I would want to categorize Boko Haram into five or six categories. Number one is the original Boko Haram; which actually started in 2009 by killing police officers. The second category were abducted and conscripted into Boko Haram. These are people who were unwillingly forced into Boko Haram. You have the category of the sympathisers and the category of the financiers. You have the category of the foreigners who came in from Chad and Niger. What government should actually be doing in addition to the military offensive is what I call the mind game technique. Every battle begins and ends in the mind. In January, Zakaria Ahmed of Al Shabab Somalia turned himself in. He was the Finance and Intelligence Director of Al Shabab. Why would somebody in that position turn himself in? It has to do with mind game. If our government can actually focus on mind game, which will make the other four categories see themselves as Nigerians and as people who still have a stake in this country, with very little money, we will stop this Boko Haram war and there will be peace again in Nigeria. Anytime I hear about suicide bombers, I am sad. These are things that can be stopped within few months when the mind game technique is added to what government is doing now.

    Would you say the government has done enough in fighting this insurgency?

    I will say the government has been focusing too much on the military. They should focus also on the mind game. Focus on the mind of the people who willingly give their 10 year old daughters to be suicide bombers. The financiers who thought at the beginning that it was okay, but are now tired and don’t know how to pull out and have become ensnared. So, focus on the mind game. Those who are forced and conscripted into Boko Haram do not really have a choice because they have become prisoners in the Boko Haram camp. Still talking on national issues, 1.8 million graduates are released into the labour market every year. Already, there is an existing pool of unemployed people. So, the unemployed are in their millions. I hear government say we will create jobs which is fine. But creating jobs should be based on production stimulating ideas and businesses. We have our own unemployment solution. We realised that to create jobs that will remain; jobs that will be in millions, you would need to construct a new city in each geopolitical zone and this will require man power. We planned to construct a new city in each geopolitical zone based on the raw materials available in that zone. In the South-West, we have water. If you construct a fish city, there will be fish ponds which will require manpower to construct and will be managed by people. Fish will be processed and there will be factories and because it is a new city, there will be houses constructed, banks will be attracted there, petrol stations will be attracted there and so many other businesses. That is serious job creation. There are other cities that we have in mind and with that, we reckon that within four years, 12 million sustainable jobs, dignified jobs will be created. That is one plan that can be implemented when it comes to unemployment.

    Last year, we heard that Nigeria became the 26th largest economy in the world. During the same period, the real sector contribution to GDP declined from 49 percent to 26 percent. What that means is that factories closed shop and jobs were lost while people became unemployed. We are the 26th largest economy in the world, but jobs were lost, unemployed people increased and poverty increased. So, there is business decline in Nigeria. One way to ensure that businesses come back is creating the market and this market is created when the jobs are created for people to have purchasing power. When they have purchasing power, they will be able to patronize businesses. So, job creation is the most serious challenge the government should actually tackle.

    You talked about developing therapeutic food product for HIV and cancer. What is the level of that product at the moment?

    We started work on the product in England and came and finish the work here in Nigeria and we are very satisfied with them. We are in the process of registering the patent. The product has been based on locally available raw materials with a few items being imported, like vitamins and minerals. But we are very excited about this product.

    Is the product available in the market now?

    It is not in the market yet. That is why I said we are in the process of patent registration because when you don’t patent and register and you launch it to the market, anybody can steal the idea.

    Why the delay in the patent process because from available information, you started work on this product 14 years ago?

    We are more into research and development; just as this product has come up, there are others and when you are trying to patent one, you can as well patent others because it is the same hassle that you pass through for one that you pass through to patent 10. We have other products and we are patenting all of them at the same time.

  • Lousy Labour

    • For a second time, NLC’s election is botched at a time the nation needs it sorely

    Ayuba Wabba’s emergence as the new Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President is causing rippling reverberations among the nation’s Labour family. Until his new position, he was the President of Medical and Health Workers Union (MHWU). His election factionalised the congress with the formation of Restoration Group that is led by Joe Ajaero of Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Igwe Achese of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

    Wabba succeeded Abdulwaheed Omar after the expiration of his eight years rule and reportedly polled 1,695 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ajearo of NUEE who scored 1, 140 votes. Other officials that also emerged from the polls at the Eagle Square, Abuja: Peters Adeyemi, Kiri Mohammed and Najeem Yasin, Deputy Presidents; Asuguni Amechi, Dutsinma Lawal: Oyelekan Lateef – Vice Presidents (unopposed) and Khaleel Ibrahim, National Treasurer (unopposed).

    Ajearo rejected the result of the elections in which a total of 3,119 delegates drawn from 43 affiliate unions, cleared by the electoral committee headed by President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nasir Fagge, participated. The NUEE and NUPENG delegates equally rejected the result on the ground that it was fraught with irregularities.

    The first election was also botched again, on grounds of alleged irregularities amongst the candidates. The ballot papers used in the rescheduled election were redesigned to reflect names of all the candidates for a particular position on the same ballot paper. In the first one that held at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, names of all the candidates were printed on different ballot papers, leading to allegations that some candidates’ names appeared more than once in a booklet.

    While not saying that it is not unlikely that the former President, Abdul-Wahid Omar, as he was being accused, actually manipulated the electoral system, such should not be sufficient to cause factionalisation of the NLC. We strongly believe that the election could not be deemed illegal since all the 43 industrial unions voluntarily participated in it.

    It is high time the Labour movement got its act together. The union should know, in case it has forgotten, that what is at stake is not only about Labour. The group is an important part of democracy because over time, the NLC, has been in the forefront of the campaign for enthronement of democratic rule; it is therefore a sad irony that its house is now divided because of frictions over selfish anti-democratic bickering.

    We consider it a sad historical commentary that the NLC is splitting not on grounds of principle but over its inability to keep its house in order regarding its elections. What this has shown is that most Labour activists have lost compassion and commitment for the struggle since the movement is now largely seen as a money-spinning venture and its officers’ elections, a do-or-die affair. This fact has made the factionalisation of the congress to be a whole contradiction of the essence of what the Labour movement stands for.

    As Issa Aremu, General Secretary of National Union of Textiles, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria and a contestant for the post of Deputy President in the election puts it: “Disagreement, contestations are part of our heritage and tradition. Nigeria Labour Congress is made up of industrial unions.’’ This better be as this disagreement has to be resolved amicably otherwise, the NLC’s top members and leadership will lose the moral aptitude to contribute to national democratic discourse.