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Tag: Nigeria Labour Congress

  • Unpaid salaries: Take political sentiments out – Group warns

    A group of professionals under the aegis of the Progressive Communication and Strategy Think-Tank (PCSTT) on Sunday cautioned politicians against what it described as a “growing politicisation” of the ongoing problem of the unpaid salaries across the country.

    The group called the attention of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and other affiliated bodies to critically examine the condemnable degrees to which the very crucial problem of workers’ salaries in many states of the federation and under the Federal Government is being gradually turned to tool in the hands of politicians to score political points against one another.

    The PCSTT, after its meeting in Abuja at the weekend, said it reviewed the ongoing problems of revenue crisis in Nigeria especially as it affects the welfare of workers.

    In its release signed on behalf of the group by the Administrative Secretary, Mr. Adewale Adegoke, the Think-Tank group said workers must view with disdain and warn politicians not to turn their fate to tools of political brinksmanship.

    “We have in the last few weeks followed with keen interest and utmost attention the painful inabilities of many states of the federation to meet their obligations to their workers. While we recognise the efforts being made by the concerned states to clear the unpaid salaries, we are however miffed by an unsavoury development as politicians now see the development as a tool to play dirty politics.

    “The salary crisis, we believe, is one development that must wake us up from our inertia to fully understand the import of the faulty federation we run; the size and character of our bureaucracies and the urgent need to juxtapose what we earn and what we pay as remunerations vis-a-vis national productivity index,” the group stated

    The group also called the attention of workers across the federation to resist attempts to use their welfare and fate by politicians to score cheap points by embarking on propaganda against one another.

    “The interest of workers is beyond the political ambitions and interests of individuals and groups. This is why workers must stand up to condemn anyone found playing politics with this serious issue.

    “A politician who is genuinely interested in lasting solutions to the problem would not wait till he gets to power or use the plight of workers as bargaining tool to win supports. He should go straight to proffer solutions to end the hardship created by the unpaid salaries,” the PCSTT said.

    The group also called on the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari to accelerate its processes towards resolving the logjam adding that “the government cannot afford to allow the problem to get out of control with its attendant humanitarian complexities before it rises to the occasion”

    “We are confident to say that failure to take decisive actions by the Federal Government at this critical stage will provide rooms for more politicians to see the development as something to play dangerous politics with. This is a purely and national economic issue which must not be toyed with as it has the capacity to throw Nigeria into crisis of unimaginable proportion,” the group concluded.

  • National peace cup holds November

    National peace cup holds November

    A non-partisan football and music festival to foster peace and love among Nigerians, especially policy makers, corporate organisations and young artistes will hold later in this year.

    The festival, first of its kind in the history of the country, is part of the efforts towards involving all State Governors, Artistes, Entertainers, and political fathers across the country to sustain peace and love in the country.

    Titled National Peace and Unity Cup, the event is scheduled to hold within a period of 20 days during which young Nigerians with football and singing talents would be empowered to display their prowess across all 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    These young Nigerians would be grouped according to geo-political zones while they exhibit their talents through football or music at the event in November.

    Speaking at the pre-launch briefing in Lagos, Mr. Bankole Moshood, Chief Responsibility Officer of the organizing company, MOB Zenox Enterprises, explained that the event was conceived as a result of the need to build upon the post election peace handed to Nigeria, which according him was “against the run of play, going by the predictions and expectations of pundits and prophets of doom who had concluded that Nigeria would be consumed by war.”

    He explained further that since football was already a cementing factor in Nigeria, while war and chaos thrived on the strength and vigor of youth: “It has become imperative and strategic to merge the two in a non-partisan political and merry atmosphere devoid of strife and rivalry for the purpose of deepening and establishing the desire for national peace and progress in the subconscious of our youths.

    Expected at the festival include Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General  Yabuku Gowon (Rtd) and Chief Alex Ekweme among others.

    More so, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), National Union of Road Transport workers (NURTW) have being sensitized while corporate bodies like SIFEX group and others in the banking industry and telecom sectors have began putting their weight behind the initiative.

  • NLC urges FG to tackle unemployment, insecurity

    NLC urges FG to tackle unemployment, insecurity

    The Nigeria Labour Congress on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to urgently tackle the unemployment rate in the country.

    The National President of NLC, Mr Abdulwaheeed Omar, made the call at the Centenary May Day celebration in Abuja.

    He said that the country was faced with a monumental unemployment problem, adding that the official statistics put the national unemployment rate at approximately 24 per cent.

    “The unemployment rate among the youth has been put at 37.7 per cent.

    “Some estimates actually suggest that the figure is over 50 per cent but whichever way we look at it, it is obvious that we are facing an unemployment time bomb in our nation.

    “As high as this rate is, it nevertheless camouflages the enormity of the unemployment crisis in the country.

    “If underemployment and disguised unemployment were to be added to the figure, the monumental crisis will become more glaring,’’ Omar said.

    The NLC boss said the Federal Government should urgently initiate measures to revive and protect labour-intensive industries like textile, food and beverages, construction, iron and steel sectors.

    The congress commended the government for initiating the textile revival fund, stressing that the mid-term assessment of the impact of the long term fund at single digit interest rate had been positive.

    He said that the United Nigeria Textile Plc (UNTL) Kaduna, the largest textile mill that had hitherto closed down in 2007, had reopened with direct jobs of 1,500 workers with prospect of further expansion.

    Omar explained that an analysis of the dis-aggregate unemployment data showed that the youth had the greatest brunt of the unemployment problem.

    He called for a decisive intervention to rein in the unemployment problem, adding that signals of strife and insecurity today were warning banners that could not be ignored.

    “To overcome the problem of unemployment, Nigeria must promote strong industrial policies that recognise manufacturing as a key engine of growth and decent mass employment for the national economy,’’ he said.

    On insecurity, Omar said that Nigeria faced severe, comprehensive and total security challenges that threatened its survival.

    He explained that the nation had on its hands, clear and present danger that needed an urgent and well thought-out solution if it must continue to remain as a nation.

    He said that from the north to the south and from the east to the west, the nation was gripped in the throe of unprecedented violence.

    “Daily, innocent and ordinary people are slaughtered in numbers either in incidents of armed robbery, assassinations, kidnappings, arson, communal clashes or bombings, sectarian skirmishes and related acts of violence.

    “All with a telling effect in every facet of our life as a nation. The bonds that hold us together are being weakened. Our productive capacity is similarly diminishing.

    “ There is a feeling of loss of identity and we are scared and disfigured.

    “As the nation lies prostrate, we are all shell-shocked. But much more worrying than all of this, is our inexorable loss of humanity, both the murderers and their victims.

    “Violent conflicts, armed robberies, kidnappings, assassinations, arson, insurgencies and food insufficiency or insecurity or other forms of threat, do not occur by accident.

    “Usually, they are products of years of poor leadership, bad governance, weak institutions, lack of accountability, corrosive corruption, political impunity, poor planning and privatisation, socioeconomic injustices and inequities.

    “However, we at the congress have an unshakeable faith in the indivisibility and sovereignty of Nigeria.

    “We believe it has enough space and resources for the expression of our individual and collective dreams and endeavour,’’ Omar said.

    The NLC president called on the government to muster the necessary will and wisdom to tackle the challenges.

    He said that the NLC supported the on-going efforts to work out an amnesty programme with the Boko Haram sect.

    He, however, noted that for such a programme to be successful, members of the sect must first and foremost embrace dialogue and negotiations.

    “We, therefore, call on members of Boko Haram to lay down their arms and step out for reconciliation.

    “Nigeria is their country and its dismemberment or destruction in our view, offers no way forward for any of us,’’ Omar said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the May Day rally held at the Eagles Square had President Goodluck Jonathan as the special guest of honour.

    Other dignitaries at the event include diplomats, foreign labour leaders and workers.

    NAN also reports that this is the last Workers’ Day before the nation marks the centenary of the Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates, to create what is today Nigeria.

    It is in recognition of this that labour chose the theme of the May Day as “100 years of nationhood: the challenges of national development”.

    Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, is a celebration of  international labour and left-wing movements.

    It is commonly celebrated with a march past by workers and their unions in Nigeria and most parts of the world annually on May 1.

  • Jonathan seeks labour’s support in tackling corruption

    Jonathan seeks labour’s support in tackling corruption

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday in Abuja called on organised labour to complement Federal Government’s efforts in fighting corruption in the country.

    Jonathan, who made the call at the Centenary May Day 2013 held at Eagle Square, noted that perpetrators of corruption are senior and junior members of labour unions.

    He called on the labour unions to organise a peer review programme with the objective of checking corruption and corrupt tendencies.

    The President said such a programme would complement several efforts of the government in fighting the menace.

    “Labour has been in the forefront of demanding for good governance and increased actions against corruption, and these issues are being vigorously tackled on various fronts.

    “Prosecutions are being pursued in matters arising from fuel subsidy fraud, embezzlement of pension funds and other serious long-standing malpractices which have been demystified by this administration.

    “Giving that some of these perpetrators are senior and junior members of labour unions, greater attention to peer review actions on the part of labour will be much appreciated,” he said.

    Jonathan said the administration was leaving no stone unturned to upgrade the welfare of workers both in the private and public sectors.

    “There is also a policy framework in place that will facilitate better relations between employers of labour and the government,’’ he said.

    Jonathan called on labour to support government’s transformation agenda, which he said was geared toward creating jobs and wealth, and ensuring a better deal for Nigerians.

    He said government was committed to creating a politically stable environment in which economic activities would flourish.

    The President said the valuable contributions and sacrifices of the organised labour had assisted the government to achieve significant reforms in all sectors.

    He extolled “the resilience and contributions of past labour leaders like Pa Michael Imodu and Pascal Bayfau, both of blessed memory’’.

    Jonathan assured that government would continue to associate with the labour unions as they continue to play their roles in the nation-building process

  • May Day: Not yet “uhuru’’ for Nigerian workers

    May Day: Not yet “uhuru’’ for Nigerian workers

    On May 1, Nigerian workers will join their counterparts all over the world to celebrate the International Labour Day.

    International Workers’ Day is the commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, the U.S.

    Reports had it that the police were trying to disperse a public assembly during a general strike for the eight-hour workday, when an unidentified person threw a bomb at them.

    The police reacted by firing on the workers, killing dozens of demonstrators and several of their own officers.

    In 1889, the first congress of the Second International, meeting in Paris for the centennial of the French Revolution and the Exposition Universelle, following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne, called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests.

    May Day was formally recognised as an annual event at the International’s second congress in 1891

    The first Workers’ Day in Nigeria was celebrated in Kano State in 1980, as the then governor, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, declared the day a public holiday.

    In 1981, however, the Federal Government declared May 1 the Workers’ Day.

    Since Nigeria started celebrating the May Day, the occasion is often used as an avenue for stock-taking by the organised labour and employers of labour.

    The theme of this year’s May Day is “100 Years of Nationhood, Challenges of National Development’’.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says that Nigerian workers have every cause to celebrate the 2013 May Day “with pomp and pageantry.’’

    Mr Promise Adeusi, the Deputy NLC President, said that the union had able to fight for the interests of Nigerian workers, citing the current national minimum wage as an instance.

    Adeusi said that the congress had also intervened by forcing telecommunication providers in the country to bring down their tariffs.

    “There have been some gains and pains. For instance, the minimum wage issue, we have been able to force some states to pay their workers what they should earn, just like their counterparts elsewhere.

    “Nowadays, the awareness of Nigerian workers is more than what it used to be in the past.

    “Telecom providers have come down with their tariffs and it is all about the input of the labour movement.

    “We are still working to keep the workers’ head up high and very soon, all this struggle will bring about shinning results,’’ he added.

    The Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, said that the Federal Government had always supported the May Day celebration, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan would be part of this year’s celebration.

    “We are getting ready. You can see the excitement in the air. From what they told us, the organised labour will be 100 years this year and next year, Nigeria will become 100 years old.

    “So, we are celebrating the labour movement at the eve of 100 years of nationhood and there is no doubt that organised labour played a major role in the race for independence,’’ he stressed.

    However a cross-section of workers wants the government to give more attention to the workers’ welfare.

    They insist that Nigerian workers have been adjudged as the poorest remunerated among the top 10 global oil producers and members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

    Miss Tochi Nwofor, a public servant, said that that the workers’ salary vis a vis the people’s cost of living is still very poor.

    She also said that the government failed to build new staff quarters after selling the old staff quarters to their occupants some years ago.

    “An average Nigerian worker is always in need because he or she can hardly cope with the high costs of living in the country.

    “Some years back, several civil servants did not have to contend with house rent as they were living in staff quarters but the story is different now,’’ she said.

    Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Emeka Okoronkwo, a public servant, stressed that the wages of civil servants were still very poor.

    He argued that poor workers’ motivation would always foster low productivity because the workers, irrespective of their multifaceted responsibilities, lacked the financial capability to function efficiently.

    “The so-called minimum wage is too insignificant to improve the lives of workers in these harsh economic times,’’ he said.

    Okoronkwo called on the government to enhance the workers’ salary to reflect the high cost of living in the society, particularly the soaring prices of goods in the market and the high cost of transportation and accommodation.

    He urged the government to either build staff quarters or allocate land to its agencies to erect low-cost houses for their staff, adding that such an policy would alleviate the plight of workers in getting affordable accommodation, particularly in expensive cities like Abuja, Lagos and Part Harcourt.

    Nevertheless, Mr Paul Olowo, another public servant, bemoaned the high level of corruption in the country.

    He urged the anti-corruption agencies to make tangible efforts to curb corruption in the country.

    “The level of corruption is still astronomical; people are looting public resources with sheer impunity.

    “Most times, monies meant for the welfare of workers in some parastatal agencies are pocketed by some highly placed persons in these agencies and nobody does anything about it.

    “With the level of kidnapping, armed robbery, assassinations and the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram, many workers now operate with fear; they, therefore, cannot put in their best, ’’ he said.

    All in all, analysts urge the government to give priority attention to the workers’ welfare.

    They also want the government to close the gap between Nigerian workers and their counterparts in other oil-producing countries. (NANFeatures)