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  • NLC to tackle governors over unpaid salaries

    NLC to tackle governors over unpaid salaries

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday said it will tackle state governors over non-payment and cuts in the salaries of workers in some states.

    The NLC president, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the congress would meet with all its state councils to encourage them to respond effectively to some of the challenges in the states.

    “We may declare a state of emergency over non-payment of salaries and we are going to have a meeting with all our state councils to respond effectively to some of these challenges.

    “We want to take stock of exactly what the issues are and we will also put appropriate employers on notice.

    “We will declare a state of emergency because workers should not be made to bear the brunt of the challenges because they are not responsible.

    “When the economy was good they did not enjoy, now that there is a challenge, they are the worst-hit, it should not be so. These are our arguments.

    “But when they are taking such decisions, they also have to be very balanced in taking such decision. It should not only apply to workers.

    “Political office holders are still collecting their money even though they are proposing the reduction, they are still collecting the security vote we are talking about and they are still issuing bogus contracts.”

    He said most countries that had experienced economy recession, had to take all interests into consideration before deciding to either cut salaries or stop payment of workers.

    Wabba explained that salaries were not an allocation to workers, but remunerations earned in line with international best practices and in consonance with Convention 138 of the International Labour Organisation.

    He added: “Salaries of workers are not an allocation, therefore, the pronouncement by some of these governors, I think it is something that needs to be condemned.

    “We are condemning it in strong terms, how much is N18,000?

    “How much is the quantum of money that the governors are collecting and looting, let them compile it so that we can all see it.

    “Do not also forget, these workers need to leave a decent life and to work and provide such services.

    “If you do not pay them or pay them half of their salary, how would they leave a decent life?

    “How will these workers be able to take care of their immediate needs?’’

  • NLC to Fed. Govt: reimburse states for projects

    NLC to Fed. Govt: reimburse states for projects

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to reimburse states for repair of some federal roads.

    The refund will enable the states to pay salaries, pensions and contractors’ debts, NLC president Ayuba Wabba told The Nation.

    Wabba said the reimbursement of the states would stimulate the economy.

    He said the government should devise palliative measures to help Nigerians who now have  to pay more for goods and services without a comensurate rise in salaries, pen sions and other earnings.

    Wabba urged Nigerians to use the  Eid-el-Fitri celebration to reflect on the state of the nation in order to confront its challenges.

    “I have no doubt that with discipline, piety, humility, scholarship, good neighbourliness or a sense of consideration for others and renewal of our faith in God, we shall prevail.

    “Eid-el-Fitr avails us an opportunity to deepen our faith in our country and our belief in ourselves to fight the vices that divide us as well as stifle national development such as corruption, social injustice, inequity, discrimination, politics of exclusion and other vices. It also avails us an opportunity to experience the pains and pangs of hunger of the poor, the deprived and the excluded,” he said.

    In another development, the NLC has donated N1 million to the family of rights activist, Chima Ubani, who died in a road accident on September 25, 2005.

    Ayuba, who promised to sustain the gesture for five years, said the fund would support the tuition fee and other expenses of Ubani’s children.

    He praised the late Ubani for his impact in the labour struggle, adding that his effort would be documented.

    Meanwhile, members of the civil liberties organisations, who attended the meeting between the family and NLC, urged Wabba to unite the NLC, saying division among its members would hinder it’s development. Ubani’s widow, Ochuwa collected the cheque on behalf of the family.

  • Call factional NLC leaders to order, NECA urges Fed Govt

    Call factional NLC leaders to order, NECA urges Fed Govt

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Council (NECA) has called on the Federal Government to call to order, the NLC faction led by Comrade Joe Ajaero, over its plan to picket some banks on the issue of retrenchment/downsising going on in the sector.

    Oshinowo who described the Ajaero-led group as a rogues, said the planned action of the group is illegal, abuse of labour law and an act of criminality.

    Speaking further, Oshinowo said any party or group that is parading itself without a certificate  should be prosecuted, saying that the Wabba group was endorsed by the Federal Government  and was issue a certificate.

    “It is so unfortunate that this labour faction, which I will describe as a rogue is still existing.

    “Their  plan to picket banks as regard retrenchment in the sector is uncalled  for, illegal and should be addressed by the Federal Government because the group is acting against the law.

    “It is most unfortunate that the group has been fueling impunity and gross abuse of rules and principles of Industrial Relations in Nigeria. The law about dispute settlement is clear. If the union has any issue with the action of the employer, it should seek recourse in the Industrial Court rather than take laws into its hands.

    “In exercising their right to picket, the union should realise that such an action should not impinge on the right of the enterprise to conduct its business. There are, of course, limits to the right of picket and if the union should cross the line by encroaching on the rights of other actors in the economy, that would amount to criminality for which we expect the Police to arraign the offenders before the appropriate court,” he said.

    He said NECA will write the Minister of Labour and Productivity and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on the matter.

    The NLC faction, led by Comrade Ajaero , three weeks ago issues a 21-day ultimatum to the banks that have engaged in mass sack against the rules of engagement to reverse the decision or face the wrath of the workers. The ultimatum ended  June 30.

  • NLC: no minimum wage panel yet

    NLC: no minimum wage panel yet

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said yesterday that the proposed committee on the new national minimum wage was yet to be constituted by the government, dismissing media reports that the committee has started work.

    NLC’s President Comrade Ayuba Wabba said in a statement  in Abuja that while the government agreed to constitute two committees to address issues raised by organised labour following increase in the pump price of petrol, the committee on the review of the national minimum wage has not been constituted by the government.

    He said the story in the media about the committee beginning its work was not only false and misleading, but mischievous.

    According to him, considering the sensitive nature of the issue, the story is alarmist, and constitutes an unnecessary overheating of the polity, saying “to the best of our knowledge, government accepted to set up two committees as a result of the major protest action by Labour following the increase in the pump price of petroleum products from N86:50 to N145.

    “These committees are Palliatives Committee and National Minimum Wage Committee. Broadly-speaking, they are to make recommendations to government on how to cushion the harsh effects brought on the people by the sharp increase in the pump price of petroleum products as well as address other issues connected with the workings of the institutions in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, especially the PPPRA.

    “Similarly, the committees are to make recommendations on other challenges militating against the regular supply of petroleum products. The acceptance of government to set up these committees was part of the process of addressing the concerns of labour”.

    He added: “On June 2, 2016, the Committee on Palliatives was inaugurated by the secretary to the Government of the Federation. An inaugural meeting chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige held thereafter during which it was agreed that a tripartite committee (comprising representatives of Government, Employers and Labour) on a new National Minimum Wage be set up in line with extant laws and procedure.

    “Organised Labour had taken the position that in order to deepen its presentation, it would consult widely with its affiliate unions. Although the framework or the outline of the work of the committee and its membership were discussed, the committee was not constituted.

    “Part of the explanation for this was that the annual International Labour Conference in Geneva to which the stakeholders in Labour were invited was already in progress and members had to travel to Geneva.

    “We have no doubt that with the stakeholders back from Geneva,  the committee will be constituted in line with the established law, convention and practice.

    “From this account, it is evident that there is a difference between the Palliatives Committee and the National Minimum Wage Committee. We find it necessary to advise the media to verify their stories from appropriate sources, such as the NLC before rushing to the press.

    “Even before the fall-out from the increase in the pump price of petroleum products, the NLC and theTrade Union Congress had submitted a proposal to government for a new minimum wage.

    “This action was informed by the fact that a new minimum wage was legally due after five years, and coupled with this, inflation and major devaluations of the naira had rendered the N18,000 minimum wage unrealistic.

    “Without the slightest intention to pre-empt the direction of discussion, a realistic minimum wage at the moment will have to take on board the recent complications created by the N145 pump price of petroleum product and the floatation of the naira as an economic policy and their aftermath.

    “In a few words, the earlier figure by NLC and TUC may have been rendered inappropriate by these recent developments. We have gone to this length to show how sensitive this subject matter is and why no one should test waters with speculations or outright lies.”

  • NLC decries sale of public utilities

    NLC decries sale of public utilities

    •Seeks urgent action against financial outflows

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has faulted the continued sale of public utilities by the Federal Government.

    In an address at a conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said  the Federal Government should scale down and reverse, where possible, the decision to privatise public services, arguing that according to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the state still remains the driver of the commanding heights of the economy, and the provider of jobs and services.

    Wabba argued that aggressive privatisation should not be an excuse for failing to stem Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) from Nigeria.

    “The case for serious, aggressive, brave and sustainable inward looking cannot be more urgent than now that the country is confronted with near-unprecedented economic challenges, to the extent that the performance of basic and fundamental state duties, such as payment of salaries and pension as and when due is under real threat”.

    He noted that since African Union Heads of State in Addis Ababa adopted the African Union-Economic Commission for Africa (AU-ECA) report on Illicit-Financial Flows (IFF) from Africa, no action has been taken, even when the report pointedly said  $50billion is lost to Africa annually through IFF activities.

    Wabba said the need for action is underscored by the increasing poverty and social discontent in the land.

    He said rather than commit the same zeal and attention to dealing with these criminalities and their perpetrators for which Congress will ever be ready to support the government, the NLC is amused that government has chosen to pursue tax policies such as increasing Value Added Tax, raise the pump price of petroleum products, devalue the Naira and other policies that will punish the poor and exacerbate the hardship and miseries of indigent households.

    To repatriate the funds for development purposes, Wabba urged African countries to seek and pursue effective cooperation with themselves and other developing countries, particularly in terms of tax policy, practices and information-sharing.

    “African governments should strive to eliminate undermining and damaging tax competition with and amongst them.  In essence, tax concession in relation to attracting Foreign Direct Investment should be critically rethought. African governments should seek cooperation with other developing countries to enforce multilateral adoption and implementation of measures to end financial and corporate secrecy jurisdictions, which have contributed in major ways to the fledging of tax havens and thus loss of revenues to African governments.

  • NLC suspends picketing over sack of workers

    NLC suspends picketing over sack of workers

    he Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday in Abuja announced the suspension of the proposed picketing of six banks over the mass sack of workers.

    NLC President Ayuba Wabba said this at a joint press conference organised by the NLC, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and representatives of the affected banks.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NLC had issued a 14-day ultimatum to six banks to recall sacked workers or face a nationwide industrial action.

    The banks are Fidelity Bank, Diamond Bank, First City Monument Bank, First Bank, Ecobank and Skye Bank.

    He said the decision to call off the picketing was a follow-up to the Public Hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Banks and Financial Institutions.

    Wabba said the Senate had asked the Ministry of Labour and Employment to convene a bilateral meeting and consultation in the best interest of the workers and employers.

    “We have come to an agreement that we would attend the tripartite meeting that is being proposed by the ministry, to look at auxiliary issues affecting the sector.

    “We have also agreed as NLC, working with our affiliates, to suspend all forms of hostility, including the picketing, until the meeting takes place.

    “We have also looked at other related issues that include non-unionisation, issue of protection fees by some banks, among others.

    “We have agreed mutually that the issues will be discussed under law at the tripartite meeting being organised by the ministry and we have agreed to subject ourselves to it.”

    He noted that all parties had agreed that the tripartite meeting was necessary as it would take on board the interest of the workers as provided by the law under Section 20 of the Trade Union Act.

    According to him, the law provides a forum for dialogue, consultation before any process would be concluded.

    “We have observed the challenge, especially the issue of the process, the procedure and the provision of the law.”

    Wabba noted that the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) had updated the Congress on how far they had gone with engagement with the affected banks.

    “We have looked at the banks one after the other; some of them have not actually carried out those redundancy.

    “They have assured us that the law would be followed; we have advised them to interface with the in-house union, and bring the issues to an end,” Wabba said.

    Also speaking, Mr Olusegun Oshinowo, the Director-General of NECA, called for dialogue as a way of resolving issues in the banking and financial institutions setor.

    “The fact is that in employer and employees relationship, there will always be issues but the important thing is that when there are issues, there should be a structure and there should be an understanding among social partners.

  • NLC suspends planned picketing of banks

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday suspended the planned picketing of five banks that recently carried out mass retrenchment of workers.

    The decision was taken at a consultative meeting between the leadership of the Congress led by its president, Ayuba Wabba and the leadership of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Assembly (NECA), led by the Director- General, Segun Oshinowo.

    Addressing journalists after the meeting, Wabba said the planned picketing has been suspended until after the stakeholders’ meeting being put together by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    According to him, the meeting will take place in July.

    He said: “We had a very fruitful meeting with employers of labour led by the DG of NECA and representatives of the various banks on the mass sack and staff redundancy in the banks for which NLC issued a notice to picket some banks.

    “This is a follow up to the public hearing which we attended at the Senate. The Senate Committee encouraged such meeting and consultations in the best interest of workers and the employers.

    “We have x-rayed all the challenges especially the process and procedure as well as the issue of law on how to declare redundancy and the process to be followed to address redundancy. And we have come to the conclusions that a meeting is necessary and taking into consideration the interest of the workers as provided by the law especially section 20 of the trade union act which provide for such dialogue and consultations.

    “We have looked at the pros and cons and the fact that our affiliate, NUBIFIE has been able to update us on how far they have gone in their engagement with the various banks.

    “We have come to an agreement to attend the tripartite meeting being convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour to look into other issues. We have also agreed as NLC, working with our affiliates to suspend all hostilities including the planned picketing of the banks until that meeting takes place.”

     

  • NLC to FG: Pay your debts to states

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday asked the Federal Government to refund to the state governments money spent on maintenance of federal roads in the states to enable them settle outstanding workers’ salaries and allowances.

    Some state governors have accused the federal government of failing to refund several billions of naira spent on maintenance of federal roads and other federal institutions in their states.

    President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said in a statement in Abuja that the federal government should verify such claims and make refund to the states.

    He added that such intervention will help in ensuring salaries and pensions are regularly paid by state governments.

    On the new Central Bank policy, Wabba said what the policy implies is that Nigerians will be forced to pay higher prices for goods and services without commensurate increase in salaries.

     

     

     

     

  • Oyo: Tension as NLC insists on strike

    Oyo: Tension as NLC insists on strike

    Following its inability to reach a truce with the government of Oyo State over the lingering labour crisis, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC)  during the week said its members will continue the ongoing strike they embarked upon weeks back. Workers in the state have been at loggerhead with the Governor Abiola Ajimobi-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration over the non payment of salary arrears, amongst other issues.

    The Nation, however, learnt that the decision of the workers to turn down all pleas and continue with the industrial action may introduce a new twist into the labour crisis as, according to government sources, the state government may also decide to invoke the “no work, no pay’ rule it threatened about a week ago.

    “The government is considerate and wishes the workers will, in the interest of the people of the state, shelf their strike and return to work. Since we are already dialoguing and trying to find ways out of the crisis, it is important that we all show commitment to the negotiations by shifting grounds in our demands and positions.

    The news emanating from the NLC is not encouraging and it may force the government too to consider the “no work, no pay’ rule it threatened about a week ago. If the government is trying to make things work, NLC should be seen to be doing same. The current situation, in the long run, will benefit none of the two divides,” our source said.

    But the Chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr Waheed Olojede, told newsmen in Ibadan that government failed to meet the terms of agreement with the labour leadership at a peace parley held during the week between the labour leadership and government. According to him, the hard stance of government at the parley made it inconclusive.

    NLC had on June 6 declared an indefinite strike over their unpaid six months salaries. The workers also rejected government’s controversial education initiative to involve private participation in the management of public secondary schools while also demanding the withdrawal of all charges against the labour leaders in a court of law.

    The NLC boss added that the meeting held with the governor was not conclusive in resolving the disagreement between government and labour. He said government had agreed to put on hold the proposed controversial education policy , noting that a 14-man committee would be saddled with the responsibility of ratifying the recommendations.

    “The committee will comprise seven representatives from each party, excluding the chairman that will come from government side,” he said. Olojede, however, said that the leadership of labour insisted on the continuation of the ongoing strike action because government did not meet the demand on payment of outstanding salaries.

    “We have requested that government pays at least two months of the six months outstanding salaries but government said it cannot pay due to paucity of fund,” he said. He said that since the government was not ready to accede to the demand, there was no way workers in the state could go back to work.

    Also on the demand list, according to the workers, was proper and adequate funding of the education sector, including payment of a living wage and other incentives for workers in educational institutions as well as dropping some criminal charges instituted against labour leaders in court by the state government.

    “We are against  Oyo State government’s plan to sell our public schools. Education is not a commodity but a social responsibility of the government. We also want the government to stop the unnecessary victimization of our leaders through phony charges they instated in court weeks back.

    It would be recalled that Olojede, and six other labour leaders were arraigned for organising a protest against government’s perceived move to hand over mission schools to their original owners. The labour leaders were arrested and detained by the Oyo State Police command on the allegation that the labour leaders destroyed some properties and beat up some government officials.

     

  • Ortom debunks rumour of workers retrenchment

    Ortom debunks rumour of workers retrenchment

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has dismissed widespread rumour that his administration was planning to downsize the state’s workforce because of economic constraints.

    Governor Ortom who stated this while fielding questions from journalists at the end  of the meeting he held with officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE  and affiliate unions at Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, said the  meeting addressed the problem of non-payment of salaries.

    Governor Ortom said the difficulties he has faced in paying salaries arose as a result of the dwindling allocation to the state which dropped to N1.3 billion and explained that the allocation was too meager to meet the challenges confronting the state.

    He maintained that Benue workers contributed immensely to his emergence as governor, and reiterated that he has no intention to downsize the workforce even in the face of economic challenges.

    “I am not thinking of downsizing the workforce for now, we are thinking of industrializing the state so that even civil servants can go into the industries and forget about civil service; workers in Benue state are part of me, they contributed immensely in making me governor, and there is no way I will toy with their welfare,” he added.

    He said, the only way the state can wriggle out of the quagmire is to borrow money to offset the backlog of unpaid salaries of workers who are the ‘drivers of the economy’.

    In separate interviews, the state Chairman of NLC, Comrade Godwin Anya, as well as his NULGE and TUC counterparts, urged the state governor to obtain more loans to clear workers’ salaries.

    “I support the idea that the governor should borrow money again to clear workers’ salaries because as long as we live, we cannot die because there is no money, so, if it means borrowing one hundred times, NLC will agree that government should go ahead and borrow”, Anya said.

    On his part, the state NULGE Chairman, Mr. Terungwa Igbe, also supported the move to obtain another loan to pay workers, stressing that local government workers needed to be paid.