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Tag: NLC

  • New minimum wage: NLC, TUC hail Buhari

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) asked employers of labour, especially states and federal government to immediately commence the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage following the signing into law of the minimum wage bill by the President.

    The unions in separate statements  commended the President for signing the bill  into law.

    The  NLC described  the  bill signing as  only the first step and called for the immediate implementation of the law, given the fact that this process has dragged on for nearly two years.

    It advised employers, particularly federal and state governments, to commence immediate negotiations with the  appropriate unions on the impact of the new law on the wage structure with a view to timely and judicious implementation.

    On its part, the TUC said the new wage would in no small measure give workers a sense of belonging.

    The TUC said while organised labour appreciates the approval of the new wage, it is also instructive to note that its gains have been eroded by inflation, adding that prices of commodities have gone up even when employers have not commenced payment.

    Read also: New minimum wage ‘ll cause chaos —Tony Momoh

    It said: “the N30,000 monthly National Minimum Wage that we are even  asking for a family of six actually amounts to less than N50 per meal per person. It is exclusive of utility bills, school fees, etc.

    “Given our extended family system as Africans we are also expected to once in a while extend hands of fellowship to parents, in-laws, relations, friends who have lost their jobs, brothers and people of the same faith.

    “We recall that some lawmakers promised to give the wage bill supersonic attention whenever it was brought before them and they have kept to their word. To us it means we still have men and women with milk of kindness left in them.”

    The TUC asked the President, the National Assembly and well meaning Nigerians to prevail on governors to pay workers their salaries and pension to pensioners as and when due to avoid crisis in the industrial sector.

  • NLC to partner MINILS on capacity building

    President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Ayuba Wabba has stated its readiness to partner the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) in building the capacity of the workers for improved productivity.

    Wabba made this known when the management of the institute paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Abuja.

    He expressed optimism on this new initiative, saying it would improve the lots of the workers.

    Read Also: NLC urges Buhari to tackle security challenges

    Wabba described the institute as one that is dear to the NLC.

    He assured the institute’s management of congress’ readiness to collaborate with the institution in the area of training and re-training of  its officials and  members for better productivity.

    “I want to assure you of our readiness to collaborate with you and see how we are able to maximise the benefits that the institute in its experience, as a foremost labour institute, can actually bring to the Nigerian workers,” he said.

    He assured that the NLC will work towards a concrete arrangement to ensure it builds an ensuring partnership with the institute.

     

  • NLC urges Buhari to tackle security challenges

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday said the rising wave of insecurity across the country was unacceptable. It urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rise up to the occasion and come up sustainable strategies to address the situation.

    It also condemned incidences of inconclusive elections that characterised the last general election and series of violence and vote buying, saying such incidences were a major threat to the nation’s democracy.

    In a communique at the end of its Central Working Committee meeting in Abuja, the  Congress rejected planned hike in Value Added Tax (VAT) and removal of petrol subsidy by the government as a recommendation by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying the recommendations of the Bretton Wood institution has never been in the interest of the Nigerian people.

    Read also: NLC to FG: Don’t accept IMF recommendation

    Signed by Congress President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson,  it advised government to explore other means to raise fund for minimum wage implementation.

    It condemned incidences of hate speech, vote buying, ballot box snatching, abuse of provisions for manual accreditation, logistics tardiness and isolated cases of violence in the election.

  • NLC to FG: Don’t accept IMF recommendation

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the government against implementing the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the removal of subsidy on petroleum product. President of Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke in Abuja, insisted that if the country can refine what it consumes locally, the issue of subsidy will not arise.

    Wabba also said that the continued devaluation of the Nigerian currency has created the impression of the existence of subsidy, adding that as long as the value of naira is left to market forces, the issue of subsidy will continue in the country, adding that efforts should be made by government to upgrade the nation’s refineries. He disclosed that as President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), he recently led organised labour across the world to a meeting with the IMF and the World Bank and told them point blank that their one stop recommendation on subsidy removal and other sundry policy recommendation to the third world are not working and will not work.

    He said: “let me tell our country and our government that certainly they should be wary of IMF and their advices. I saw that many media houses are trying to amplify that the IMF has recommended that subsidy should be removed. In the first instance, is there subsidy? This is a question we have not been able to answer. “I want to collaborate what President Buhari said years back that subsidy is actually corruption and that whoever is subsidizing is aiding corruption and we stand by that position. In fact, that has remained a consistent position of the NLC. We can kill that issue of subsidy if we refine our products locally for our domestic use.

    “Refineries can be upgraded from one capacity to another. The four refineries we have, if serviced and upgraded, can service our population and the entire West Africa sub region. But because it pays more for corrupt tendencies to thrive, we prefer importation than refining our product for domestic use. Whereas we celebrate countries like Venezuela that have stood their ground to say no; the policies must work for the people and not for the capitalist, our own case is a sorry one.

    “You own crude oil, you pay for it to be extracted from the ground, you pay for it to be taken outside to be refined, you pay for tax to where you took it to and you also pay to bring it back to your country for consumption. If we are not able to refine for local consumption, there will be no end because the devaulation of our currency will continue except we are able to address some fundamental issues associated with that. This is an issue that we should be able to address once and for all.”

  • NLC resolves 11 years old agric union dispute

    The eleven-year-old crisis that has fractured the nation’s argic sector union has finally been laid to rest with both factions agreeing to adopt one union and work together for their common good under a new name.

    The Agric sector union has been factionalised into Agricultural and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria (AAEUN) and Agricultural and Allied Workers Union of Nigeria (AAWUN), with both claiming to be the recognised union in the sector.

    The crisis led the Registrar of Trade unions domicile in the Ministry of Labour and Employment withdrawing their certificate of registration when all efforts to resolve the crisis failed.

    Read Also: NLC tasks African leaders on challenges of climate change

    At its last National Delegates Conference, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) put in place a conciliatory committee headed by the Deputy President of Congress, Comrade Najeem Yasin to resolve the crisis.

    Comrade Yasin told newsmen that after series of meetings, both contending factions resolved the dispute and adopt a new name, while a 33 man caretaker committee headed by Comrade Simon Anchaver to run the affair of the new body for six months before elections is conducted.

    He said the new union will now be called Nigeria Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees, adding that similar caretaker committees are to be put in place at all levels of the union and positions shared at an agreed formula among the two unions.

  • Gap between rich, poor worries NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed concern over the widening gap between rich and poor Nigerians in accessing healthcare and other services.

    NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba made this known at the 10th National Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) in Abuja.

    The theme of the conference was: “Advancing national campaign toward good governance, poverty alleviation, health for all for development.’’

    The labour leader said in other countries, the rich subsidised healthcare for the poor, saying that the reverse was the case in Nigeria.

    “The inequality gap in health care services between the rich and the poor in our country is getting expanded whereas in other countries it is the rich that subsidise cost of care for the poor but in our country it is the poor that subsidise for the rich.

    “The conference theme is very important and strategic because there cannot be development when majority of the people are so impoverished; we cannot talk about development if workers salaries cannot even take them to their next bus stop.

    “We cannot talk about development when our pensioners after working for 35 years have a living that is difficult. What is central is for our system to bring about equity and fairness in all ramifications,” Wabba said.

    He, however, identified the existing situation as the factor responsible for the nation’s poor health indices as well as underdevelopment, stressing that the component of the conference’s theme is key to development of any society.

    According to him, some of the health indices like maternal, child mortality, disease burden, general health services and government can only achieve the desired goals when the system is working.

    He blamed the failure of democracy on the privileged few who corner the resources to themselves.

    Wabba said: “We ought not to be where we are, if we are able to do what is right.”

    The NLC chief flayed the disparities in salaries and tax payment, saying there is no justification for the lowest paid workers to pay higher taxes than the elected public office holders.

    Wabba stressed the need for the continuous review of workers’ salaries like that of political office holders.

    “If you are increasing the salary of members of the political class, you can look at the same percentage to increase the salaries of other workers because we create and promote wealth of our nation.

    “So, if we create wealth for the nation, we must be compensated,” Wabba added.

  • FG committed to promotion of decent work environment– AL Alo

    The Federal Government is committed to the promotion of decent work environment in line with the provisions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, William Alo, stated this in Abuja when he received the National Women Commission of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by Comrade Mercy Okezie, on an advocacy visit to the Ministry on the adoption of the ILO Convention on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work.

    He said Nigeria had always eschewed all forms of discrimination and negative attitudes in the work place, had adequate laws forestalling such practices, and had always keyed into the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) provisions.

    According to him, “Nigeria is ready, willing and determined to show more commitment to making the work environment conducive for every Nigerian worker”.

    “If the work environment is conducive, friendly, accommodating and protective, it brings peace, love and understanding. So, the advocacy is timely because we need to do more”, he added.

    He pledged the commitment of Government to supporting the ILO Convention on Stopping Gender-based Violence and Harassment of Women and Men in the World of Work, emphasizing the relationship between an enabling work environment, productivity, and economic growth.

    Alo congratulated Nigerian workers, and the Nigeria Labour Congress in particular, for their effort in negotiating for the new National Minimum Wage, saying “the Nigerian government is determined to ensuring that the average Nigerian worker is happy”.

    The Permanent Secretary appreciated the NLC as a credible ally to the Ministry on labour issues – all geared towards making the Nigerian workers happy.

    Earlier, the leader of the National Women Commission of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Mercy Okezie, said the Commission was on an advocacy visit to the Ministry to solicit support for the adoption of the ILO Convention on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work.

    She requested for the adoption of the ILO Convention and Recommendation to stop all forms of gender-based violence and harassment of women and men in the world of work.

  • NLC tasks African leaders on challenges of climate change

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked governments in Africa and beyond to be alive to the challenges posed by climate change, especially with regards to making provisions for climatic early warning systems and robust architecture of rescue initiatives-cum-resources to deal with disasters of this nature.

    In a statement signed by Acting President, Comrade Najeem Yasin, the congress regretted the cyclone that ravaged four African countries of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Madagascar, leaving several people dead

    The statement reads: “The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expresses its deeply felt grief and commiseration with the workers and people of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Madagascar affected by the horrendous landfall of Cyclone Idai.

    “It is really tragic that this climatic and environmental disaster has left in its wake death in hundreds, thousands of displaced persons and largescale destruction and disruptions of public infrastructure, social facilities, property and livelihood. In Beira, the second largest city in Mozambique, Cyclone Idai left its most devastating footprints as it is estimated that nearly 90% of the city has been destroyed.

    “Similar waves of destruction impacted other cities and communities in different parts of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Madagascar where Cyclone Idai bared its monstrous fangs.

    “We wish to commend the resilience of those in the affected communities. We salute the efforts of the governments of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Madagascar in scrambling rescue resources it could avail as a first line response to the victims. We also appreciate the intervention of multilateral institutions and aid organizations both local and international for coming to the rescue of the people of Southern Africa hit by this calamitous disaster.

    “As devastating and painful as Cyclone Idai is, it affords all of us a moment of quiet reflection. Climate Change is real! We can only mitigate and adapt to its realities. The NLC calls on all governments in Africa and beyond to be alive to the challenge posed by Climate Change especially with regards to making provisions for climatic early warning systems and robust architecture of rescue initiatives cum resources to deal with disasters of this nature.

    “We pray for the repose of the souls of those that died. We ask that God will grant fortitude to bereaved families, give strength to those whose loved ones are still missing or injured and imbue resilience in those experiencing great discomfort as occasioned by this natural disaster.”

  • NLC applauds NASS’ approval of N30,000 new minimum wage

    The Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ), Gombe State Council, has applauded the National Assembly’s speedy passage the bill proposing N30,000 as new national minimum wage.

    The Senate had on Tuesday approved N30,000 as the new national minimum wage, after its ad-hoc committee on new minimum wage submitted its report.

    Mr Haruna Kamara, the state’s NLC Chairman, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Wednesday.

    He said that the gesture by the lawmakers was a testimony to their high level of patriotism and commitment to the well-being of workers.

    He added that such patriotism and commitment could lead to the desired improvement in the living standard of workers.

    “I want to most sincerely thank and commend the national assembly for the honour done to Nigerian workers which will bring the desired change in terms of improving the living condition of workers generally.

    “We are highly elated with the high level of humility and patriotism exhibited by the national assembly.

    “By their act, the deal has been done and sealed for transmission to the president for ascent.

    “We must also give credit to labour leaders and Mr Ayuba Wabba, for putting the mechanism in place for the change that the Nigerian worker will be grateful happened at a time like this,’’ he said.

    The Gombe NLC chairman debunked speculations that the speedy passage of the bill had anything to do with the just concluded elections.

    “The lawmakers have realised that workers are the engine room for development.

    “The approval of the new wage for workers by the lawmakers shows that they see workers as the most effective tool for change and as major players in driving the economic development of the country,’’ he said.

    Kamara who expressed confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari’s disposition to sign the bill into law soon, said: “ I believe that President Buhari is committed to improving the welfare of workers and pensioners nationwide.

    “Mr President has shown on several occasions his commitment to workers’ well-being.

    “So I believe he will demonstrate that same commitment and high level patriotism by signing the bill into law.”

    On whether governors will pay the new wage, Kamara said: “When Mr President ascents to the bill, the governors will have no choice but to pay. We will ensure that the N30,000 is implemented nation-wide.

    NAN reports that Buhari had on Nov. 27, 2017 inaugurated the National Minimum Wage Committee headed by Amal Pepple, with a mandate to recommend a new minimum wage for workers.

    On Nov. 6, 2018, the panel submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari and in it, recommended N30,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the country.

     

  • Minimum wage: NLC wants quick implementation, commends Senate

    The Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) wants the government to commence the implementation of the new national minimum wage before the 2019 workers day celebration and give workers good course to celebrate this year.

    NLC also commended the Senate for passing the bill into law, following the footstep of the House of Representatives which had earlier passed the N30, 000 as new national minimum wage.

    The Nigeria Governors Forum had earlier said that they will not be able to pay N30,000 as minimum wage, offering to pay N24,000 instead while President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded N27,000 to the National Assembly as minimum wage.

    Both chambers of the National Assembly set up special adhoc committees headed by the Deputy Senate President for the Senate Committee and Deputy Speaker for the House of Representatives committee to conduct public hearing and submit reports for consideration.

    However, the House of Representatives immediately passed the bill into law before embarking on break for the 2019 general election, while the Senate passed the bill at its sitting on Tuesday.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Senate endorses N30, 000 national Minimum Wage

    Acting President of the NLC, Comrade Najeem Yasin said even though the bill has been passed by both chambers, the battle for the minimum wage was not yet over, saying workers will not rest until the bill is signed and implemented.

    He said; “We commend the senate for the quick passage. But it is not yet over because we want them to make sure that the process gets to the logical conclusion and for the quick implementation of that N30, 000. Nigerian workers are happy and commends them.

    “We stand by the N75, 000 punishment for employers who fail to implement the law which has been passed. We have been fighting for this N30, 000 for a long time and the governors have been opposed to it. But now, it has been passed. Nigerian workers are now looking forward to the signing of the bill into law.

    “We want them to start implementing it before the May Day celebration so that Nigerian workers can have good reasons to celebrate.”