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Tag: NLC

  • NLC seeks ban of jobs scratch cards sales

    NLC seeks ban of jobs scratch cards sales

    • Says high, mighty behind oil theft

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday urged the government to stop the sale of scratch cards to applicants for employment.

    In a statement, its President, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar and the General-Secretary, Comrade Chris Uyot, said all application process should be free and unencumbered.

    “Congress frowns at governments’ agencies milking applicants by way of asking them to buy scratch cards, or pay needless sums at banks knowing full well that they will not offer jobs to these hapless applicants,” it said, adding that the process is an affront on the patience and patriotism of Nigerians in the face of gross deprivation and poverty amidst so much wealth.

    The congress insisted that economic growth must come with jobs, saying that in spite of figures justifying economic growth, unemployment rates have more than quadrupled in recent years making not a few to conclude that the country has never had it so bad.

    The labour chiefs said it was time the state re-examined the total surrender of the economy to foreign models that have not yielded the desired results, adding that it has instead created massive unemployment, bloody conflicts, unprecedented crime waves and other unpleasant consequences.

    They said the private sector which is expected to drive the process of economic development/growth is weak, choosy, rabidly profit-oriented and cannot guarantee shared prosperity among Nigerians.

    The congress rejected the levels of crude oil theft, saying the vive has virtually left the economy prostrate.

    The Congress said it is amazed and shocked that government’s promises of checking this ugly trend have not yielded the desired result “because of the involvement of the high and the mighty.”

    On the nation’s independence, NLC said that the founding fathers had a vision at independence which clearly went beyond ceremonial, or flag independence, saying “their vision encapsulated a productive economy, socio-economic justice, peaceful co-existence of which every Nigerian should be proud.”

    NLC noted that 53 years after, some of the changes have been traumatic.

    Omar added that sectarian-cum communal crises across the country have led to unacceptable blood-letting as well as caused massive displacements with potential for food shortages and disunity.

    The statement reads in part: “Congress appreciates the challenges our security agencies are facing in the course of maintaining the peace during these moments, but condemns in strong terms the incessant and protracted senseless killings of helpless and innocent Nigerians. The latest of these, being the Apo killings and the murder of over 50 students in the College of Agriculture, Yobe.

  • NLC kicks against constitutional conference

    NLC kicks against constitutional conference

    •Mark urged to face legislative matters

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday urged Senate President David Mark to focus on his legislative assignments rather than diverting attention to national conference.

    The Labour also asked Mark to stop blowing hot and cold on the constitutional conference.

    It’s National Vice President Comrade Issa Aremu told reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital at the sideline of the 25th national education conference of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria.

    Aremu added that “this is a Senate president that has presided over constitutional amendment with billions of Naira voted for it, which has not been concluded and mid way he is already singing different song.”

    The labour leader said that the NLC is totally opposed to sovereign national conference, arguing that it is diversionary.

    Said Aremu: “He was also opposed to any form of conference before, what has changed? He should preside over a Senate that would pass laws for good governance and there are lots of bills waiting on his table. They should not divert our attention to another wastage of money on national conference.

    “The so-called demand for sovereign national conference is more of a diversion and unconstitutional. The take of labour is that we are not a debating society. Nigeria should be functional, we spend all the time agonising and questioning the viability of a country when we should rather organise our thoughts to make the country work.

    “Labour is opposed to sovereign national conference. It is moving against the trend of the world and I think it is even wrong to say Nigeria is too big. Our size is an asset. What we need are leaders to turn these potentials to reality.

    “The proposed conference is unconstitutional because with all the imperfections of the existing dispensation whether we like it or not we have elected a president who has specific mandate and he got elected based on certain promises to the nation. We have constituted the National Assembly. We have 36 governors, they are elected, they must deliver on their mandate. Nobody should short change mid-way.”

     

  • Minimum wage: NLC, TUC storm Senate

    Minimum wage: NLC, TUC storm Senate

    Following the Senate’s vote to move the minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent list, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) will today storm the National Assembly to protest the proposal.

    The Senate, during the recent constitution amendment exercise, voted for the decentralisation of negotiations on the National Minimum Wage Act, while the House of Representatives overwhelmingly turned down the proposal.

    Although the proposal is currently awaiting the harmonisation of the National Assembly, the leadership of both the NLC and TUC, at a meeting with the principal officers of the House of Representatives yesterday in Abuja, rolled out plans to stage a protest to the Senate today to register their displeasure over the proposal.

    According to the NLC President, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, the protest would take off at 9am from the Labour House at the Central Business District and end at the Senate where the unions are expected to present a protest letter to the Senate President David Mark.

    Omar, who described the decision of the Senate to undermine the popular wishes of the Nigerian workers as unfortunate, however, praised the House of Representatives for standing for the masses.

    He said although the House of Representatives displayed a high sense of responsibility in throwing away the proposal, they should resist any overture that would make them succumb to the whims and caprices of a few individuals driven by self motives.

    Omar warned that the House of Representatives should be wary of some people, who would want to exploit the avenue of the joint harmonisation session of both chambers to push through what they could not achieve earlier.

    He said: “We are very happy to note that the House did not even consider the removal of the minimum wage law from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list because of your belief that the Nigerian workers deserve a very proper place. As our logo depicts, it is the Nigerian workers that turn the wheels that generate the wealth of the nation and therefore it would be a disservice to undermine the workers and relegate them to the background.”

    However, there is still much to be done because, if we understand the working of the National Assembly, it will still have to move to the concurrent before being passed to the Houses of Assembly. This is a very major concern. The Nigerian workers have great fear that the hands that have been working behind the scene to influence some people elsewhere can still highjack the process.

    “Perhaps some people may still want to achieve what they could not hitherto achieve, at the joint harmonisation level. That is why Nigerian workers are very concerned and we say we need to come on solidarity to you to keep faith with the promise you have made to Nigerians.

    The Speaker Aminu Tambuwa said the House decided not to tamper with the Minimum Wage Act in line with the promise it made to the Nigerian people to always be committed to their cause.

    He noted that it was the Nigerian people that rejected the removal, stressing that all that the House did was to uphold the popular wishes of the people.

    He said: “We have come under severe pressure to come to where we have got today. All we did was to work on the agenda of the interest of Nigerians. It was the public that rejected the transfer. We only came here and upheld it.”

    While promising to continue to do the bidding of the Nigerian masses, he admonished the leadership of the two unions to extend their campaigns to the Houses of Assembly, who would also be required to vote on it.

    Reacting to the unions’ demand for the House of Representatives to intervene in the lingering face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government to end the ongoing strike, Tambuwa said the House would table it for discussion tomorrow(today).

    He said one of the House members has already moved a motion on the strike.

  • Minimum wage: NLC to protest against Senate

    Minimum wage: NLC to protest against Senate

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it would mobilise its members against the decision of the Senate seeking the removal of the national minimum wage from the Exclusive List because of its potential to create a pool of the working poor and cause slave labour in Nigeria.

    The Labour center in a communiqué issued at its National Executive Council (NEC), yesterday  and signed by its President, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, and Acting General Secretary, Comrade Chris Uyot, condemned in strong terms the inability/refusal of the government to reach an amicable resolution of its dispute with the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU).

    Part of the Communiqué read: ”The Congress is set to mobilise its members across the country against the decision of the Senate on the prescription of a national minimum wage on the Exclusive List, because of its potential to create a pool of the working poor, judicial nightware, slave labour , an environment for payment of arbitrary wages; destruction of the economy; major industrial unrest; and worsening national security situation”

    He said the Congress will leave no stone unturned in resisting the Senate, adding that in spite of the overwhelming support of the Nigerian people, the Senate, against every grain of wisdom, removed Labour and the national minimum wage from the Exclusive List.

  • Ondo NLC, Mimiko at war over mass sack

    Ondo NLC, Mimiko at war over mass sack

    The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ondo State and the Governor Olusegun Mimiko administration are at war over the retrenchment of 10,000 local government workers.

    The NLC leaders accused the government of deliberately sacking their colleagues on the pretext of being ghost workers.

    The national and state leadership of the NLC mobilised workers to the campaign rallies of Dr. Mimiko before last year’s governorship election.

    At a news conference yesterday, organised by leaders of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), Trade Union’s Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and chaired by the NLC state Chairman, Mrs. Bosede Daramola, they faulted a report credited to the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, on the affairs of the local governments in the state.

    Akinmade was quoted as saying that the government has saved N500 million monthly following the verification exercise it embarked upon, which resulted in the sacking of those the government tagged “ghost workers” in the councils.

    Besides, the commissioner claimed that workers had been paid June and July salary.

    But the NLC chairman said the purported statement of Mimiko’s aide was deceitful, misinformed and an attempt to praise- sing the government.

    She said workers in the councils were yet to receive their March salary, adding that no civil servant in the state had received salary for June and July.

    Mrs. Daramola said: “After the verification exercise in the state service, including the councils, primary and secondary schools, to our dismay, only yesterday, the government-owned newspaper reported that Ondo State Government has raked in a whopping N500 million monthly following the discovery of over 10,000 ghost workers in the local government service.

    “It is amazing that government spokesperson could said that we have 10,000 ghost workers in the local government service of Ondo State.

    “The report of a committee set up by the government and headed by Deji Falae, which the Commissioner for Information made reference to, declared all workers employed between 2009 to date as ghost workers.

    “Not only this, 3,200 senior workers were declared as ghost workers, which include the NULGE state Chairman. As I speak today, the senior workers labelled as ghost workers have been cleared. I still don’t know who is fooling who?

    “In the report, the government spokesperson said that the June and July salaries have been paid, but as at today, the salaries of local government workers have not been paid. Cheque has not been written not to talk of issuance of cheque or paying to the accounts of the workers. I don’t know the magical hands the government is using.

    “The statement of the Commissioner for Information in the newspaper report reads: ‘You can imagine people collecting salary for workers in schools that are not in existence at all. Some workers have not been to their offices in the councils in the last four years.’

    “My question is that if they are workers, can they be ghosts? To my understand, ghost is invisible, they are not human beings, so if there are sharp practices anywhere, it is quite different from saying that they are ghost workers.”

  • NLC urges govt to resolve Rivers crisis

    NLC urges govt to resolve Rivers crisis

    President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwahed Omar, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan, to intervene in the political crisis in Rivers State.

    Omar, who made the call at the opening ceremony of the 11th NLC Rain School, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, described the recent political crisis in the state where five lawmakers in the state House of Assembly attempted to impeach the Speaker as capable of derailing democracy in the country.

    He said: “We urged President Goodluck Jonathan to display uncommon statesmanship by intervening in the political crisis rocking Rivers State”.

    “Of importance to the working class has been the rate and extent of impunity in the country.

    “The show of shame in Rivers State where only five legislators in the state House of Assembly attempted to impeach the speaker ,and the protracted travails of the Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, are capable of derailing democracy in our country.

    “We reiterate our call on Mr President to demonstrate uncommon statesmanship by ensuring that the political crisis in Rivers State is checked and resolved in the interest of the people of the state and the nation,” he said.

     

  • NLC threatens to join ASUU strike

    NLC threatens to join ASUU strike

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday threatened to join the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in solidarity strike if the Federal Government failed to address the body’s demands.

    NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, made the threat at the opening ceremony of the “2013 Rain School’’ in Uyo.

    “We call on the federal government to have meaningful dialogue with ASUU with a view to implementing the agreement.

    “The state governments should equally obey the law and pay minimum wage to teachers and the local government workers as well as the 27.5 per cent teacher’s enhanced salaries.

    “Should these strikes persist, workers of Nigeria will not hesitate to join them in solidarity,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Omar as saying at the forum.

    Omar said the modules of the rain school were designed to train members of affiliate unions and state councils of the NLC.

    “This is in order to equip them with necessary skills to empower and protect their rights at workplace.’’

    He said the theme of the 2013 Rain School was imperative due to the obvious violation of workers’ rights in the workplace and in the larger society.

     

  • Senate kills six-year tenure

    Senate kills six-year tenure

    •Legislators weaken NLC, TUC

    The Senate yesterday killed the proposal for six-year single tenure for president and governors as it voted on recommendations for further alteration of the 1999 Constitution.

    The lawmakers also rejected local government autonomy and mayoral status for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    It curiously voted ‘yes’ to make any woman eligible for marriage even if she is underage.

    It endorsed a proposal that Presidential assent shall no more be required for the purpose of altering the Nigerian Constitution.

    It also approved a proposal that a presidential or governor’s assent would not be required after a bill passed and transmitted to the president’s or governor had stayed for 30 days with the president or governor as the case may be.

    It granted financial autonomy to State Houses of Assembly.

    The Senate also endorsed first line charge for State Independent Electoral Commission, State Houses of Assembly, Auditor-General of the State and State Judiciary, but failed to approve first line charge for the Attorney-General .

    Before the historic voting began, Senate President David Mark reminded senators that they were on the threshold of history.

    Mark told the lawmakers, that for any clause to pass, 73 yes votes were needed.

    “I urge every Senator to vote according to his conscience. Every voting will accordingly be reflected on the votes and proceedings of the Senate. We have gone through this before and because of the importance of the issues slated for voting, we are not to resume debate again. You must, therefore, endeavour to vote according to your conscience,” Mark said.

    On presidential assent for Constitution amendment, the Senate voted that “for the purpose of altering the provisions of this Constitution, the assent of the President shall not be required.”

    In all, 95 senators endorsed the proposal while three opposed it.

    Clause 4 which sought the alteration of Section 29 of the Constitution almost threw works. In the upper chamber into turmoil.

    The Section is on renunciation of citizenship.

    It states (29)(1) “Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation. (4) For the purpose of subsection (1) of this section (a) ‘full age” means the age of eighteen years and above (b) any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.”

    The Constitution review Committee recommended that the Section 29(4)(b) should be deleted.

    The Senate voted 75 ‘yes’ and 13 ‘no’ to delete the Section.

    The endorsement of the clause by the Senate became a battle between Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima (Zamfara West) and other senator.

    Yerima said the clause is against Islamic law and insisted that it should not be deleted.

    He noted that declaring maturity age for women is against Islamic law.

    He said the Constitution forbids the National Assembly from making law on Islamic matters.

    Yerima insisted that a second vote should be taken on the passed clause.

    Mark said he is not an expert on Islamic law and added that if Islamic scholars raise the same sentiment, it should be revisited.

    But Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) took up the matter from Yerima.

    He accused the Senate President of double standard.

    Mark took exception to the accusation and reiterated that he had been very consistent in the consideration of the clauses.

    He wondered why the issue should be made a personal matter.

    Following insistence by Yerima, Mark agreed that the clause should be revisited.

    Mark said, “Once more, because of the serious nature of the laws we make and because we want our actions to stand the test of time, we will revisit the issue raised by Yerima.

    “This is because of the sensitivity of issues that has to do with religion, we should revisit it so that we take another vote on it.

    “But Yerima is a member of the Constitution Review Committee, he should have raised the issue at that level.”

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who chaired the review committee said that the clause has nothing to do with religion.

    Ekweremadu added that the Constitution Review Committee felt that a woman should be old enough to renounce Nigerian citizenship.

    He recalled that Yerima said the clause is unconstitutional at the review level but insisted that the clause has nothing to do with religion.

    A total of 99 Senators registered to vote on the controversial clause.

    The repeated vote showed that 60 Senators voted to retain the clause while 35 voted to delete it as recommended by the review committee.

    After the vote Mark said: “Once you are married, you are deemed to be of age whether you are one or two years it doesn’t really matter.”

    Immediately the clause was killed, there was outrage in the gallery as many spectators felt that the upper chamber had endorsed under age marriage.

    Yerima was later shouted down when he attempted to thank Senators for voting to retain the clause.

    On assent to a bill, the Senate passed alteration to Section 58 by inserting a new subsection “5A” which states: “Where the President neither signifies that he assents or that he withholds assent, the bill shall at the expiration of thirty days become law.”

    A total of 100 Senators registered to vote, 89 voted ‘yes’ while 11 voted ‘no’.

    The Senate also approved the alteration of the Section 100 by inserting a new subsection “5a” which reads: “Where the Governor neither signifies that he assents or that he withholds assent, the bill shall at the expiration of thirty days become law”

    On Section 81, financial autonomy to Attorney General of the Federation.

    A total of 100 Senators registered to vote.

    While 59 Senators voted that financial autonomy should be granted the Attorney General of the Federation, 41 voted ‘no’

    The clause failed to pass.

    A total of 83 Senators voted ‘yes’ to grant the Auditor-General of the Federation, 16 Senators voted ‘no’ while two abstained.

    On Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Committee, 99 Senators voted ‘yes’ to grant it autonomy while two voted ‘no’.

    On National Human Rights Commission, the upper chamber voted 94 to six to grant the commission financial autonomy.

    The senate also approved that all labour matters would henceforth be handled at the state levels.

    Observers contended that this new development would weaken the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the national level.

    The clause which states that “Any person who has held office as President or Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, shall be entitled to pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent President or Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives was passed with a vote of 86 ‘yes’ and 13 ‘no’ with one abstention.

    Mark jokingly said that the clause was endorsed ‘overwhelmingly.’

    The Senate endorsed financial autonomy for State Independent Electoral Commission; State Houses of Assembly; Auditor-General of the State; and State Judiciary.

    But the lawmaker opposed first line charge Attorney General of State.

    The Senate voted 86 against,14 in favour and one abstention to nail the coffin of the clause on six year single tenure for President and Governors.

    On separation of the office of the Attorney General of the Federation from the office of Minister of Justice, the Senate voted 62 in favour and 35 against.

    The clause failed because at least 73 votes in favour were required.

    On direct payment to local governments from the Federation Account, 59 Senators voted in favour while 38 voted against while two abstained.

    The clause failed.

    The clause which sought to confer the power on the Attorney General to direct investigation in certain cases was killed with 62 Senators against and 31 in favour.

    The Senate killed the clause for Mayoral status for the FCT with 57 votes in favour, 39 against and two abstention.

    The Senate failed to remove the National Youth Service Corps Decree 1993 from the Constitution.

    It also failed to remove the Public Complaint Commission Act, National Security Agencies Act and the Land Use Act from the Constitution.

    It endorsed the changed Afikpo North and South Local Government Areas to Afikpo and Edda Local Governments.

    It also endorsed the change of Egbado North and Egbado South LGAs to Yewa North and Yewa South LGAs.

    Labour was deleted from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List with 77 votes in favour and 17 against.

    Two Senators abstained.

    The Senate also voted in favour of Railways being placed on the Concurrent List.

    The votes tied at 72 Senators in favour and 23 against.

    Mark broke the tie by voting in favour of Railways going to the Concurrent List.

    The Lawmakers also removed pension matters from the Exclusive List but it failed to remove Prisons from the Exclusive List.

    Despite explanation from Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and Senator Umaru Dahiru that the removal will solve the problem of prison congestion, the Senators voted against the removal.

    The Senate also voted against removing the Chief Justice of Nigeria and other serving Judicial Officers as Chairman and members respectively of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Senator Umaru Dahiru said that the CJN, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, wrote to request the status quo be maintained.

    Ekweremadu also informed the Senate that the CJN wrote to say that she was not comfortable with the clause.

    He said that the clause is before the Senate to take a decision on the matter.

    Mark also said that not withstanding the letter of the CJN, the Senate will vote on the clause.

    The clause was defeated with a vote of 72 against and 26 in favour.

    Mark voted against the removal of the CJN as Chairman of Federal Judicial Service Commission.

    At the end of the voting, Mark thanked Senators and declared: “Today is a historic day in the history of Nigeria.”

    “We voted for those issues that we think will make democracy to go on and make democracy to mature.”

    He thanked the Senate Committee on Constitution Review saying: “What ever sentiments they expressed, we have put them to test today.”

    Mark told the Senate that today would be devoted for valedictory session for the late Senator Pius Ewherido.

     

  • NLC makes case for workers’ pension remittance

    The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday urged the management of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to ensure prompt remittance of the workers’ Contributory Pension Fund (CPS) to their Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs).

    Speaking with reporters in Abuja during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), the NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, represented by the Acting Secretary-General, Comrade Chris Uyot, said it was surprising that the National Assembly, which enacted the Pension Law in 2004, was in default of staff pension remittance.

    Said he: “We are surprised and shocked that the management of the National Assembly has not been complying with the Pension Act 2004. The Director of Personnel has explained that the workers have not come up with their PFAs and some came with double PFAs.

    “Well, I find it difficult to believe this. I think those who made the law should also respect it. I believe the management of the National Assembly should take a serious look at this issue and ensure that the remittance of the workers’ pension is made to the PFAs as and when due.”

    The PASAN President, Comrade Fatai Jimoh, sought for the prompt remittance of the deducted pension funds to the pension managers.

    He implored the leadership of the legislative arm to facilitate the payment of housing and outfit allowances in bulk once in a year, rather than in piecemeal, spread monthly.

     

     

     

  • NLC names labour secretariat after Imoudu, Bafyau

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has named its two houses in Lagos and Abuja after two of its late leaders, .

    NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, who made this known at a briefing in Abuja, said the decision was taken at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the congress.

    He said the congress named its sub-secretariat in Lagos after its first leader, the late Pa Michael Imoudu while it renamed the national secretariat in Abuja, Paschal Bafyau Labour House, after its former president who died last year.

    “Similarly, the NEC-in-session also named the national secretariat’s auditorium after the union’s slain deputy general secretary, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, who was killed on May 5, last year.

    Oyerinde was working with Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on secondment from the NLC when he was murdered.

    The NLC chief said the congress called on governors to respect their forum’s election.

    He said: “The congress irrevocably stands for certain values it will not compromise for anything, and urged the governors to restore dignity to their office.“We are opposed to impunity at all levels and the undermining of national security and unity. We have respect for process and its outcome. We stand for justice.”

    He further said NLC’s NEC also called on the governors to “get back to work and stop overheating the polity”, advising them not to jeopardise Nigerians’ hard-earned democracy. The labour leader urged the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to quickly fix whatever must have gone wrong as they are custodians of the people’s mandate and grand beneficiaries of the nation’s democracy.

    Omar said the NEC also called on the government to ensure adequate power supply to meet the national needs.

    “This should be through the design and execution of seamless transition in its power reform programme,” he said.

    On security, the NLC leader said the congress re-affirmed its belief in the sovereignty of Nigeria and supported the declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

    He said some thing should be done to protect the civilian population, with channels for dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgents kept open.On minimum wage for teachers, Omar said the congress would not fail to mobilise workers in the states, which had not paid the 27.5 per cent enhanced allowance for teachers.

    “The congress gives its unalloyed support to the proposed action on the matter by members of the National Union of Teachers,” he said.