Tag: Nigerian workers

• Urges govt to intervene

The Nigeria Union of Mine Workers, Ogun State chapter, has called on the state government to take urgent steps to redress what they refered to as labour injustice against their members working for Chinese firm operating in the state.

According to the Union, Chinese firms operating in the state are subjecting their members working for them into fresh ‘neo-colonialism’.

They alleged that, for example, most of the workers at the Chinese quarry companies have been casual workers for several years without any hope of being granted staff status.

The Chairman of the Union, Fasiu Abiola Alao who delivered an address at the inauguration of the newly elected Union’s Executive said: “Chinese labour employers and their Nigerian collaborators encourage casual workers and thus deprive Nigerian workers human dignity, all these must stop.

“Nigerians working in Chinese quarries have not been treated with respect as human beings, but as slaves and casual workers, this is no longer acceptable in the state.

“Mining industry is a diverse one, this union’s primary assignment is to harmonise all sphere of this industry and bring everyone under one body where our collective rights can be achieved, but not without the involvement of Ogun State government and its agencies.”

He, however, said the union will ensure a peaceful atmosphere for business to thrive for all, adding that it will disccourage any form of violence, but dialogue as the best solution to whatever disputes that may arise in the course of doing business with each other.

“We must both recognise our jurisdictional scope, Chinese are to crush and produce while agents and marketers are to act as middlemen between the producers and the end users. If the Chinese are crushers, middlemen and retailers and the transporters, what job is left for the indigenous people.

“Definitely, there will be restiveness in the state when thousands of people are kicked out of jobs by foreigners, I must reiterate it once again that granite to our people is what crude oil is to the people of Niger-Delta.”

The National President of the union, Hamza Mohammed, who was represented by Yemisi Bamgbose,  inaugurated the union’s new Executive.  urging it to always operate within the law.

As Nigerian workers join their counterparts across the world to mark this year’s Workers’ Day tomorrow, insecurity of lives and property, casualisation, minimum wage issues, abuse of expatriates’ quotas, unemployment as well as effects of an ailing economy are some of the issues that dominate discourse within labour circles. TOBA AGBOOLA reports.

Tomorrow, Friday, May 1, Nigerian workers will join millions of their counterparts the world over to mark the 129th anniversary of May Day, a day set aside to mark the struggle of working people internationally against horrible living and working conditions. As it was the case in previous May Day celebrations, a number of issues agitating the minds of Nigerian workers would be in the front burner of national discourse. This is so considering the various promises that have been made in the past with regards to the welfare of Nigerian workers, most of which remained unfulfilled. Till date, the verdict of many Nigerians is that the working condition of the average Nigerian worker is yet to improve. Crappy offices, poor equipment, un-conducive environment, poor salary, casualisation to mention but a few, are issues still haunting Nigerian workers.

Exploitation and Casualisation

Recently, the organised private sector unions released alarming data indicating that over 70 per cent of the nation’s workforce in the private sector is casualised. Casualisation is the practice of employing temporary workers for short periods rather than making them permanent staff. This phenomenon is aimed at saving costs.  Under the arrangement, the worker is not entitled to benifits such as transportation, leave, medical allowances or special benefits or packages. Besides, the worker’s take-home pay is so miserable that it can hardly take him/her home.
In the private sector, the conditions of workers are not different. Job insecurity has become the norm, as private employers are banking on the army of unemployed to exploit those working and drive down wages. From manufacturing to banking, insurance and financial sector, casual and part-time employments have become the order of the day. The recent story of an airport cleaner, paid N8, 000 monthly, but could only be compensated with meagre N4, 000 for returning N12 million lost by a passenger, highlights the horrible conditions many workers face.
In the banking sector, there is job insecurity as unreasonable targets are set for workers, more than 50 per cent of who are casual or contract staff. Retrenchments are now rampant in banks and financial institutions. In various factories from Lagos to Aba, Kano, etc., tens of thousands of workers are working under terrible conditions that take better parts of their health and agility. In many of these factories, aside the poor salaries and insecurity of jobs, there are health hazards that are hardly addressed by employers, and worse still labour leaders.
To make matters worse, government that is expected to stop these horrible situations are now taking cue from private employers, to carry out massive casualisation of jobs. In several states, tens of thousands of young people are employed as casual workers under terrible working conditions, under the guise of empowerment schemes. Aside the poor pay, mostly around N10, 000, casual workers do not have basic workers’ rights. The Federal Government has also institutionalised this into its labour policy, in spite of government’s own labour law that prohibits casual labour.
Today, in several Federal Government agencies and establishments, thousands of workers are employed on casual basis, either by government or private job contractors. Example of this includes the SURE-P and now defunct Federal Teachers’ Scheme employments, where thousands are employed on poor wages of around N15, 000. Added to this is the privatisation gale that has led to massive retrenchment of workers and casualisation of several others as seen in the privatisation of defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), seaports and airports.
General Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Dr. Peter Oso Ezon, said at least 12.3 million people are victims of forced labour worldwide, saying that the 9.8 million are exploited by private agents, including more than 2.4 million in forced labour as a result of human trafficking. Another 2.5 million are forced to work by the state or by rebel military groups. According to him, the situation also shows that traditional slavery is still found in some parts of Africa, while forced labour in the form of coercive recruitment is present in many countries of Latin America, and in some parts of the Caribbean.
The National President of the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Senior Staff Association (CANMPSSA), Comrade Abdul Gafar Mohammed, said casualisation is more terrible than unemployment, as it only provides short term relief. His words: “Casualisation is evil, worst than unemployment. An unemployed is free, but a casual is limited in freedom. Anywhere we find it, we confront it head on. In most cases the workers themselves are intimidated by their managements and in such instance we go in to give management ultimatum and we have achieved quite a lot in confronting the menace.”

Minimum wage imbroglio

Minimum wage has continued to be a point of disagreement between employees and employers as well as the government and organised labour groups. It is one issue where both parties do not meet, even after an agreement is reached. Last year, the Federal Government through the National Conference tried to amend the constitution to fall in line with the present day reality, thereby altering a section which put labour issues under the exclusive list, which is under the jurisdiction and supervision of the Federal Government. Among this is the issue of wages.
This has drawn the ire of the organised labour as well as other employees in the private sector. However, just as one man’s meat is another man’s poison, employers as well as the Federal Government seem elated at the resolution. The organised labour has so far threatened fire and brimstone if the proposal sails through.
National President, Trade Union Congress, TUC, Mr. Bobboi Bala Kaigama, called for total resistance of the move by the federal lawmakers to further impoverish Nigerian workers by withdrawing the meagre national minimum wage through the back door. “We urge the trade union movement, the civil society groups, religious leaders, royal fathers, and other well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the National Assembly to reverse its decision to decentralise wages in the interest of peace in the country. It is surprising that the National Assembly wants to complicate the security challenges in the country by inviting millions of Nigerian workers to take to the streets by its insensitive decision to decentralise wages,” he said.
The out-going Chairman of the Kwara State Chapter of the union, Comrade Farouk Akanbi, said all efforts have been deployed to address it to further forestall the unforeseen contingencies that may arise in the interest of Nigerian workers. Comrade Akanbi noted that no state was bound by the minimum wage stipulated at the federal level, but it all depends on the state’s financial buoyancy and negotiating dexterity with workers.
Recently, NLC President, Dr. Ayuba Wabba, emphasised that the N18, 000 minimum wage is no longer realistic, considering the nation’s economic situation. Wabba said the negative impact of the falling price of crude oil at the international market on the country’s economy made it imperative to review the minimum wage. He said with the devaluation of the naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the purchasing power of the average worker had reduced.
Wabba added that in the face of dwindling economic fortunes, the labour movement would dialogue with the Federal Government and other employers of labour to protect the workers’ interest. At the moment, most states are yet to fully implement the N18, 000 minimum wage won by workers since 2011.

Retrenchment

Following the fall in oil prices, there are fears that government may be tempted to reduce its workforce, a situation the NLC has already warned will be resisted. Labour, in a reaction, warned government not to take such step, urging it to instead manage the budget by reducing the cost of governance. Labour said the bloated emolument of political office holders must be cut. A statement by NLC said: “Mr President and the State House must lead in this regard. The size of the presidential fleet, the cost of running the State House and the retinue of political jobbers can all be reasonably cut without reducing the effectiveness of the Presidency.”
President, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Mr Olusoji Salako, said banks will begin to look at what they can do to reduce their expenses, adding that job loss would be part of it. “You know in Nigeria we don’t have good temperament for economy summersault. If somebody invests and things are not working fine, the next thing is to remove people working with him. In other climes, people will persevere, but here in Nigeria people don’t persevere when it comes to such issue. We are bracing up and also monitoring the employers to ensure that if it becomes necessary to lay off workers, due process must be followed and people affected must be well compensated so that they can function in any part of the economy,” Salako said.
NLC election

Activities within the NLC in the last four weeks have further shown that all is not well within the body. The earlier conference to elect the new leadership of the Congress in February ended in chaos due to error in the printing of ballot papers, among others. The two NLC body, recently, held separate inaugural Central Working Committee (CWC) meetings,  in Abuja and Lagos. One was presided over by Comrade Ayuba Wabba, the other by Comrade Joe Ajaero. This further confirmed fears that there is disunity in the number one labour centre. The two groups have since been holding meetings and issuing press statements separately.

The other election is the 2015 general elections that have seen the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defeated in a keenly contested election. A researcher and State Secretary, Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Kola Ibrahim, said the fact that power has moved into the hands of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may not automatically solve all the challenges facing Nigerian workers.