The Nation Newspaper

Tag: labour

  • Labour vows to paralyse Defence Ministry

    Labour vows to paralyse Defence Ministry

    Organised labour, acting  under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), has vowed to paralyse activities at the Ministry of Defence if urgent steps are not taken to pay its civilian employees their allowances, including promotion arrears outstanding since 2011.

    In a statement endorsed by its Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, the union expressed surprise that an institution, which prides itself as an epitome of discipline, equity, and fairness could choose to oppress and dehumanise thousands of its civilian workers by denying them their entitlements.

    The union said efforts to bring the management of the Ministry to the negotiation table to discuss labour issues have been frustrated.

    It, therefore, gave the Ministry of Defence 14 days, with effect from March 12,  to convene the meeting or face industrial action.

    “It is necessary to emphasise that if within this period the meeting is not called, the national leadership of the union should not be held responsible if thousands of civilian employees in the Ministry of Defence decide to resort to self-help to resolve the impasse,” the union warned.

    ASCSN regretted that though the national leadership of the union and the management of the ministry had agreed that there should be quarterly meetings to address the  labour issues and new ones that might emerge, no meeting had been held since the agreement was reached on December 16, last year.

    The issues in dispute, according to Lawal include, non-payment of promotion arrears since 2011 to date, non-placement of staff after their promotion, short-payment/non-payment of salary arrears, non-payment of hanging salaries.

    Others are neglect of Lagos and other outstations in training programmes, non-payment of death benefits and package/repatriation allowance and delay in conversion/upgrading of staff.

    The union recalled that the first quarterly meeting was fixed for February 5,  but was subsequently re-scheduled for February 10 on the excuse that the Permanent Secretary, who chose to be part of the meeting, was out of the country.

    He said: “On the 10th of February, when the national leadership of the unions arrived at Ship House, Abuja to attend the re-scheduled meeting, no management team of the Ministry of Defence was available for the parley.  All efforts to get information on why the meeting could not hold proved abortive.

    “The Deputy Director, Staff Welfare, however, promised that he will liaise with the Permanent Secretary with a view to getting a new date for the first quarterly meeting.  Unfortunate, no meeting has been fixed up-till now.”

  • Labour leaders to govt: leave Jega alone

    Labour leaders to govt: leave Jega alone

    Stakeholders in the labour movement have urged the Federal Government to allow the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, complete his tenure. They said his removal might plunge the nation into crisis.

    Speaking at a workshop organised in Lagos by the Centre for Labour Studies and Advocacy (CLASA) in conjunction with INEC, Executive Director and former General Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr John Odah, said Professor Jega should be allowed to complete  his tenure, which ends on June 23.

    The Labour leader explained that whenever politicians forment trouble, the masses are always at the receiving end. “If at the last minute, the President wants to join those who want to commit illegality, this would dent his image. As of February 14, INEC was ready to conduct the election, but because of some connivance, it was shifted. Jega should be given the chance to conduct the election. Those who think they are in charge and want more international ridicule by calling for the removal of the man should desist from their schemes,” he said.

    Organised labour, he said,   should be at the forefront of setting agenda to disallow politicians’ selfish interests in agenda setting.

    The Director-General, Electoral Institute, Professor Abubakah Momoh, said INEC should be allowed to do its job, saying its responsibility is to make the votes of the people count. “Professor Jega wants to show the public that credible election is possible; so politicians should allow INEC to perform its role in the forthcoming election. The Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is secure and will also prevent rigging,” he said.

    He continued: “If Jega is removed, there will be crisis of confidence in the forthcoming elections. Politicians do not want him because he is a man with integrity. President Jonathan chose him because of his pedigree and impeccable records. In his own (Jonathan’s) interest, he should not listen to politicians calling for Jega’s removal because it will affect his integrity.”

    Abubakar said there is no going back on the use of PVC, adding that anybody who does not want it has the intention of rigging the election. He said anybody that steals or sells PVC is just wasting his or her time, as only the owner of the card can use it.

    “There is no going back on the use of PVC because it has the highest security fortification. Some people that are saying we should go back to Temporary Voters Card (TVC) are not sincere because it will pave way for rigging. More that 80 per cent of Nigerians have collected their PVCs and have returned the TVCs. Are you now saying we should go back to TVC?,” he asked.

    Abubakar called on Nigerians to rally round Professor Jega for him to carry out a credible election. According to him, INEC wants to lift the benchmark so that anybody  coming to take over will not do anything less. “We want to show the world that it is possible to conduct a credible election in Nigeria. Politicians should allow us do our job,” he said, urging the electorates to be more careful in casting their votes. He said they should be at the voting centres in time and follow the rules guiding the voting process.

  • 21m in forced labour, says ILO

    21m in forced labour, says ILO

    About 21 million women, men and children are forced to work under inhuman conditions on farms, in sweatshops, on board fishing vessels, in the sex industry or in private homes, with their sweat generating $150 billion in illegal profits annually, Director General, International Labour Organisation, Guy Ryder, has said.

    Ryder, who gave the startling statistics in a statement marking this year’s World Day of Social Justice, insisted that there should be no excuse, that forced labour can be stopped.

    “World Day of Social Justice should galvanise action against poverty and social exclusion. Work done in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity – decent work – is a key to inclusion and it is a conduit of social justice.

    “Yet the global situation gives cause for grave concern. The economic gap continues to widen, with the richest 10 per cent earning 30 to 40 per cent of total income while the poorest 10 per cent earn between two and seven per cent.

    “In 2013, 939 million workers – 26.7 per cent of total employment, were still coping on $2 a day or less. Millions of young people facing a future of unemployment or working poverty are losing hope in promises of economic and social progress,” Ryder said.

    He lamented that women and children are particularly at risk of being abducted and sold into slavery in times of violent conflict, stressing that in some instances, forced labour keeps entire families and communities in abject poverty for generations.

    “Ending forced labour calls for integrated approaches. Governments, employers and their organisations, trade unions and civil society organisations, each have a role to play in protecting, defending and empowering those who are vulnerable, as well as creating opportunities for decent work for all,” he said.

  • Osun labour unions on collision course over strike

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC) in Osun State are on a collision course with the Senior Civil Servants Association of Nigeria  (SCSAN) over a proposed warning strike.

    The SCSAN, through its chairman, Akinyemi Olatunji, gave the government a seven-day ultimatum to look into workers’ demands, including payment of salaries arrears or face industrial action.

    But the chairmen of the TUC and JNC, Francis Adetunji and Bayo Adejumo, warned workers against any “illegal strike”, saying anyone who fails to be at his duty post is “on his own”.

    The duo maintained that the SCSAN, as an affiliate of TUC, has no power to unilaterally ask workers to embark on an industrial action.

    They maintained that the government has regularly engaged and informed the leadership of the JNC, TUC and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on issues bordering on welfare of workers.

    The duo said: “We are convinced about the sincerity of the government in the face of  dwindling and late payment of  federal allocation to the state.”

    The JNC and the TUC, at a joint briefing at the weekend in Osogbo, the state capital, said there are processes and procedure for going on strike and which only  authorised unions could apply.

    They insisted that SCSAN is an affiliate of the TUC and therefore could not  call for workers’ strike alone.

    The duo said the ultimatum given by the association was not in line with labour law.

    Saying the state government had explained factors responsible for its inability to pay salaries as at when due, they urged workers to be considerate in their demands.

    The labour leaders also noted that most of the issues raised by SCSAN had been resolved by the government.

    Olatunji has been going from ministry to ministry ,asking workers to join a seven-day warning strike, starting from today.

    He highlighted the workers’ demands, which include prompt payment of workers’ salaries, promotion and review of contributing pension scheme.

  • Adopt labour standard, ASSBIFI urges World Bank

    Adopt labour standard, ASSBIFI urges World Bank

    The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has urged the World Bank to adopt a comprehensive labour standard lending requirement in its institutions like those adopted by other multilateral development banks. The Association said that this would correct the major weaknesses in the draft labour safeguard that was recently issued for consultation.

    ASSBIFI’s National President, Comrade Sunday Olusoji Salako, who made the disclosures to newsmen in Lagos while reviewing the labour standard version proposed for protecting the rights of those who work in bank-financed projects, stressed the need for the World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, to ensure that the proposal would be to all intents and purposes and not exist only on paper.

    He said: “The intention of the World Bank to adopt a labour safeguard is a welcome development, but we call for the version proposed would have almost no impact in protecting the rights of those who work in bank-financed projects alone, but would be to all intents apply to contracted workers, to public servants and not purposes exist only on paper”

    According to Salako, an important feature of all of the other banks’ labour safeguards in the past has been their application to contractors and sub-contractors, thus ensuring coverage of a category of workers that is highly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. “The World Bank President, by proposing to not protect these workers in its projects, the Bank will perpetuate instances of unsafe working conditions, child labour, unpaid wages and denial of freedom of association that we have seen in bank-funded projects,” he said.

    He emphasised that the major weakness of the World Bank’s draft labour safeguard is the proposal that the International Labour Organisation (ILO’s) core labour standards only be fully complied with if they are incorporated in national law.

    “Specifically, the freedom of association and right to collective bargaining provisions would apply only where national law recognises them, thus opening the door to retaliatory measures by project managers against workers who wish to exercise those rights.

    “We fully hope and expect that the World Bank will catch up to the labour standard provisions adopted by the other development finance institutions over the past years, and not undermine the progress that has been made by adopting a labour safeguard that is full of exemptions and exclusions,” he further said.

  • Opportunity to pick right leaders has come, says Labour

    The Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Issa Aremu, has said next month’s election has created another opportunity for Nigerians to pick the right leader. He said the nation is being given another opportunity to go to the poll next month.

    Speaking with reporters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, while marking his 54th birthday, Aremu said: “People should judge politicians at the election based on what they have to deliver. We have always been at the forefront of the struggle and we urge Nigerians to ensure that the country survives; our patriots should fight for their votes, we should all ensure that the votes count.”

    Aremu, who also presented two books at the event, decried the poor state of the economy due to poor infrastructure, which has put the youths at great disadvantage. “We should get the youths back to the industry. If Nigeria does not work, Africa will never survive. When Nigeria was working it liberated Angola, South Africa, Mozambique, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. But we are no more on duty, our leaders have been docile. They steal money. Nigeria must wake up to return to the good old days of Shehu Shagari, Gowon, Murtala,” he said.

    Aremu, who is also the Textile Union General Secretary, emphasised that for Nigeria to emerge an industrialised nation, Nigerians must consume what they produce and produce what they consume. He warned that without that the country cannot get out of poverty.

    He recalled that  in the 70s and 80s Nigeria used to be the leader in the manufacturing sector, but now Nigeria is fast becoming poorer, while poverty has forced youths to riding Okada as alternative, which could not be considered a decent work.

    He, however, commended the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who was the guest of honour at the event, for his efforts at reducing the unemployment rate in the state and creating a better public school. He said: “Osun has the lowest unemployment rate because of the efforts of the governor. There is Omoluabi Garment Factory, which produces the free uniforms  for the students. The state has also shown to us that a public school can be better. The governor is building better schools than some in Europe.”

    Governor Aregbesola, who presented of the books, corroborated Aremu’s view on industrialisation. According to him, the way out for Nigeria’s economy is to look inward.

    He said: “Until we process what we produce here in terms of agricultural outputs, make it abundant and affordable, we will continue to be poor. There is no productivity, and productivity ensures that what we consume is produced here. We should produce things that are relevant to us. Failure of Nigeria is directly proportional to failure of blacks globally.”

    He maintained that the forthcoming election is paramount as it would afford Nigerians the opportunity to say no to corruption and maladministration through their votes.

  • Enforce protocol against forced labour, govt told

    Textile Garment and Tailoring Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (TGTSSAN) has called on the Federal Government to enforce the global protocol against forced labour.

    The protocol, adopted by the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, aimed at accelerating action against modern slavery.

    TGTSSAN’s National President, Comrade Ambi Karu, made the declaration while interacting with reporters on how the protocol has put other world leaders on the alert in the efforts to combat forced labour, which is rampant in the private sector.

    He said: “We are very comfortable with the new ILO Protocol on forced labour that will put government of member states of the ILO on alerts. This is because the private sector is responsible for 90 per cent of the estimated 21 million victims of forced labour, reaping about $150 billion from some of the most severe forms of exploitation in existence.”

    According to Ambi, the call became necessary to prevent  jobless youths from being usurped by the political class to create political crisis in the country as the nation prepares for 2015 general elections

    “We are more comfortable because over 92 per cent of, employers and workers’ delegates at the recent ILO Conference voted in favour of the protocol, which the ILO described as bringing one of its longest-standing instruments, Convention 29, into the modern era.

    “We are optimistic that the new ILO protocol, if taken seriously by the three tiers of government, the federal, states and local governments, will revitalise action to ending forced labour, especially in the textile and Garment industry, as the new rule will put those who make money from anti-workers’ activities on notice,” he said.

     

  • Labour Ministry urges workers’ safety

    The Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity has charged employers of labour to make safety and health at work their watchword if they desire to have higher productivity.

    It restated its commitment to social dialogue for sustainable implementation of its mandates, adding that  it would ensure continuous auditing of the companies involved in inspection of lifting equipment and pressure vessels to sustain their capacities.

    Its Permanent Secretary, Dr. Clement Illoh in his keynote address at a forum in Lagos warned that no individual or corporate organisation shall be allowed to undermine the integrity and sovereignty of the nation through the sector.

    He said: “Following the success of this exercise, the ministry plans to evolve a collaborative standing committee of stakeholders, for sustainable and continuous improvement, beginning with the development of technical guidelines and codes of practice.”

    He noted that the workshop, second in the series of revalidation for third party competent persons for the statutory inspection of major plants in workplaces, represents another major intervention on the critical aspect of the mandates of the ministry that have faced some challenges in the recent times.

    He said: “This four-day exercise is directed at enhancing technical capacities of authorised inspectors and assessing their level of competence for purpose of revalidating existing certificate of competence and issuance of new ones. “Competency focus is in respect of statutory inspection of pressure vessels to address current challenges and keep in tune with international best practice.”

    In her address, the Director of Factories, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mrs. Nofisat Arogundade said the whole essence of the workshop was to standardise and sanitise the system having discovered that there were quacks in the practice who might have gotten their certificate through questionable means.

  • Labour may down tools over welfare

    Labour may down tools over welfare

    •Civil servants condemn Assembly fracas

    The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has threatened to call its members in the federal public service out on strike if the Federal Government continues to dilly dally over the union’s demands for government to address the avalanche of welfare issues affecting its teeming members.

    This fresh strike is coming barely one month after the union paralysed activities at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Inspectorate Offices, and the 104 Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) for four weeks over non-payment of promotion arrears and other allowances.

    In a press statement issued in Lagos and signed by its Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, the union drew the attention of the general public to the fact that the Federal Government had refused to enter into meaningful dialogue with the association to address lingering labour issues captured in 12 memoranda and placed before the  Government since March this year.

    ‘‘Since March, 2014, all efforts by the union to bring the Federal Government to the negotiating table to discuss the labour issues contained in the 12  memoranda have been frustrated by strategic government agencies including the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) saddled with the responsibility of handling welfare issues of workers,’’ the union said.

    According to Lawal, the issues in dispute include the non-payment of promotion arrears and other entitled allowances of workers, demand for the upward wage review in the civil service, payment of civil servants rent allowance en-bloc, payment of end-of-year incentives to all public servants, upward review of retirement age in the civil service, payment of special allowance to civil servants engaged in teaching including those teaching in the Federal Unity Colleges.

    Other grievances are non-payment of first 28 days allowance in lieu of hotel accommodation, the vexed issue of conducting promotion examinations in the public service at mid night, non-payment of allowances in respect of 2010 mandatory training programme organised by the OHCSF, payment of responsibility allowance to officers in the Directorate cadre in the Civil Service, among others.

    Lawal regretted that several meetings called since March, 2014 by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to resolve these volatile labour issues had been aborted by deliberate absence at the parleys of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

    ‘‘It is not quite clear why these government agencies are frustrating the negotiation process. Could it be that they subtly want to push thousands of workers in the public service into the streets to complicate the security challenges posed by the insurgents?’’ he asked.

    The ASCSN urged President Goodluck Jonathan to direct relevant government agencies to enter into serious dialogue with the union on the labour issues listed above which had been outstanding for several years.

    ‘‘It must be emphasised that the patience of thousands of employees in the public service has been exhausted on these issues and they may resort to self-help without further notice. This is the more reason why the Federal Government should come to the negotiation table with the union immediately before the entire public service is engulfed in industrial crisis the country can least afford now,’’ he said.

    The union also condemned in very strong terms the invasion of the National Assembly (NASS) by men of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agents to prevent lawmakers from having access to their chambers.

    In a statement issued in Lagos and signed by its National President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, the union stated that the action of the security agents negated democratic ideals. ‘‘No matter the disagreement between the executive arm of government and some members of the House of Representatives, there is no need to use force to prevent the lawmakers from entering the premises of the National Assembly,’’ Kaigama said.

    He said the show of shame by the Nigeria Police Force and other security agents in preventing the number four citizen of this country along with other federal lawmakers from entering the assembly complex by firing canisters of tear gas at them all in a bid to prevent the House from re-convening to deliberate  on the request of Mr. President for an extension of the state of emergency rule in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states was highly condemnable and  makes a mockery of the nation’s democracy.

    It argued that the defection of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not enough for the fundamental human rights of the legislators to be trampled upon by the executive arm of government.

    The union  urged politicians to respect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which they swore to uphold. “This is a nation that is governed by laws and aside from that, we have our values which should normally dictate and govern our operations. Our respective actions must therefore, be driven by the provisions of the constitution and they must always be in agreement with the rule of law”.

  • Labour praises Amosun on infrastructure

    Labour praises Amosun on infrastructure

    Organised Labour   has praised Senator Ibikunle Amosun for what it described as a giant stride in the area of infrastructure in Ogun State.

    The National President of the Chemical and Non Metallic Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (CANMPSSAN), Comrade Abdul Gafar Mohammed at the opening of the union’s 19th Annual National Management / Industrial Relations seminar in Abeokuta said the governor has turned the fortune of the state around within the shortest time he took over the mantle of leadership in the state.

    “As an organised labour, we do not have any political affinity, but we aligned with leaders who are performing. I have been living in Ogun State for the past 20 to 22 years, and people living in the state know that the governor is performing”, he said.

    He noted that but for Governor Amosun’s road construction in Ota, a local government headquarter in the state, he would have sold his property and relocated.

    He said: “But now due to the governor’s infrastructure development, I ride home safe and sound without any stress.

    “I actually do not understand the kind of politics we practise in this country, when you see people that have ruled and now condemning the governor who is performing,  the landmark is feasible for all to see.”