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Tag: No pay

  • PENGASSAN kicks over no-work, no-pay order

    PENGASSAN kicks over no-work, no-pay order

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has decried plans by the federal government to enforce the no-work, no-pay clause.

    Speaking in an interview, Francis Olabode Johnson, the National President of PENGASSAN said no union worth its salt would instigate workers to go on strike without following the laid down procedures.

    “No union will just wake up and say we are shutting down. If a union is giving you 21 days, I believe that to avoid a situation of no work, no pay, you should nip it in the bud. You don’t wait till the expiration of those 21 days. Even after those 21 days, we still give 14 days’ notice to see whether there is seriousness in addressing the issues. In most cases, they ignore it, only to start running from one place to the other later and now wants to invoke the law of no work, no pay,” he said.

    The PENGASSAN boss, who said the union won’t support the no work, no pay policy, maintained that the federal government needs to be advised against taking any such rash decision.

    Waxing philosophical, Olabode said: “If you have a child who is sick, are you going to wait till that child has a relapse of have issues that will cost you more harm? As a parent, you try to nip that in the bud by giving him medical attention. When unions are pushed to the wall, they fight back and that is why we go on strike.”

    While reiterating that the union will not support the issue of no work, no pay under any circumstances, the labour leader said, “No union worth its salt will just wake up and shut down without following the lay down procedures. That is not possible. Except that union has given you 21 days, follow it up with another 14 days and yet another 7 days. In 2014, we gave government 21 days, followed by another 14 days and another 7 days. After the expiration of that, we still waited for about four days before we went on strike. Those are the issues.”

    While commenting on the vexatious agitation for minimum wage, the labour leader said it is disheartening to note that most elected public officials are living in luxury but would readily deny workers their dues.

    Short of blaming the lawmakers for their insensitivity, a visibly angry Olabode was unsparing of in his criticism: “Senators buy cars and accessories running into several millions but workers go home with pittance.”

    Raising some posers, he queried: “How much is the minimum wage? That is why the unity of labour is also important because I have seen different figures being paraded by labour leaders. If we don’t unite, we may lose this opportunity to make sure that Nigerians get a well deserved living wage because N18,000 is nothing. You find out that some states are not even paying that N18,000 despite the Paris Club refund. That is why I said the NLC, TUC and all of us team up. In a situation where states owe salaries running into months is ungodly.”

  • Fed Govt threatens no-work, no-pay for striking workers

    Fed Govt threatens no-work, no-pay for striking workers

    •Minister appeals to varsity unions to call off warning strike

    Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige yesterday reminded trade unions that there was nothing like warning strike in the nation’s industrial relations circles.
    In a statement he personally signed last night, Ngige warned that the government might be forced to invoke the no-work and no-pay rule on striking workers.
    The minister said in accordance with the nation’s labour laws, “a strike is a strike and is subject to all the rules governing strike in the world of work”
    He appealed to members of the non-teaching workers of universities to call off their five-day warning strike and embrace the channels of dialogue already opened by the government.
    Ngige said the government was committed to the resolution of issues affecting the workers, adding that a meeting called by the government to discuss the issues had to be rescheduled at the instance of the unions.
    The statement reads: “I wishes to appeal to the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Non – Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), who have jointly declared intention to embark on a five-day warning strike effective January 16, 2017 to suspend action in the interest of the nation.
    “I wish to assure that the Federal Government is ready and willing to fully dialogue with the members of these trade unions, operating under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee. Government has already opened an unhindered channel of communication with all stakeholders and shall maintain this.
    “Today (Monday January, 16, 2017), I convened a meeting of all stakeholders in dispute for us to ventilate all issues and reach amicable settlement. Unfortunately, the trade unions requested for a different date, and the meeting is now re-scheduled for Wednesday, January 18, 2017.
    “The Federal Government, therefore, expects that the trade unions should suspend the strike before the re-scheduled meeting to make way for untrammeled discussions.
    “It is important for trade unions to embrace social dialogue in the pursuit and attainment of the economic and social interests of their members anchored on equity and natural justice.
    “I hence thought it necessary to remind the trade unions that there is nothing like a “warning strike” in our National Industrial Relations System (NIRS) – a strike is a strike and is subject to all the rules governing strike in the world of work.
    “Accordingly, the provisions of Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act, CAP. T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004, will apply regarding the law of “no-work and no-pay by workers/employees, notwithstanding any other circumstances in any section of the Act.”
    “Once more, I wish to appeal to the trade unions to embrace dialogue as the Federal Government is fully committed to peaceful resolution of what the unions termed ‘Full Implementation of 2009 FGN/Non-Teaching Staff Union’s Agreement’.

  • LMC adopts ‘no pay, no play’ condition for Clubs’ registration

    LMC adopts ‘no pay, no play’ condition for Clubs’ registration

    In apparent reaction to the spate of protests and threats of strike by players of some Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs, the League Management Company (LMC) has warned that clubs found to be in breach of financial obligations to players will not be registered for the 2014/15 Glo Premier League season.

    Chairman of LMC, Nduka Irabor emphasized that ‘a no pay, no play’ policy will be adopted in the registration process for the coming season and noted that all clubs seeking registration must provide proof that there are no overdue payables, especially to the players. He said the zero tolerance for clubs’ indebtedness to players will cover current and former players of the clubs.

    Irabor made this clear in a recent communication to club managers and owners and reminded them that compliance to the Financial Criteria is a fundamental requirement for club registration under the Licensing Conditions.

    He said the mandatory compliance with licensing regulations has been reiterated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which also recently warned that clubs which are not licensed by the Federation would not be registered to compete in CAF Inter-Club competitions.

    The LMC Chairman harped on the issue of players’ welfare which he said is a fundamental requirement under club licensing regulations and expressed displeasure that some clubs have been cited in cases of non-fulfillment of contractual obligation to players.

    Irabor described as embarrassing to the nation’s football reports of street protests by players of these clubs for non-payment of their salaries and other accruable. He said: “The numerous reports about players in the league being owed salaries for several months, including public protests by players over unpaid salaries are disheartening and it is extremely embarrassing that a great football nation such as ours is exposed to ridicule and not allowed to see the performances of happy and well compensated professional football players.”

    He, therefore, vowed that the LMC will uphold the sanctity of player contracts and offer players every necessary aid to obtain redress for any breach of contracts.

    CAF just recently reminded clubs through the Federations that the enforcement of licensing conditions has become mandatory from December 1, 2014 and has amended its regulations for Inter-Club competitions to reflect the new realities. For Nigeria, clubs were reminded that they must have a Youth Development programme Coordinator who must have the prerequisite qualifications listed in the criteria.

    One of the instruments introduced by the LMC to check overdue payments by clubs is the Financial Performance Guaranty which was widely resisted by most of the club’s during the current season. “The direct effect of non compliance with such basic condition is now too obvious for all to see. The LMC will not budge on its demand for Financial Performance Guarantee in the new season, we will not allow clubs to carry-over their indebtedness to players into the coming season.

    The LMC Chairman concluded with an advice to the clubs to seek diversification of their revenue generating capacity by involving their immediate communities in the sporting and financial pursuits of the clubs and assured that they would have the cooperation and relevant guidance of the LMC in this regard.

  • Strike: No pay, no work, UCH doctors insist

    The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has said its members will not resume work until their three months salary are paid.

    The national body has called off the four-week strike.

    The UCH doctors’ decision was taken on Saturday at the association’s congress.

    When The Nation visited the hospital at the weekend, all the wards, except the Special Care and Intensive Care units, where there were a few patients, were shut.

    The association’s President, Babatunde Babasanya, said: “We have a few patients on admission in the Special Care Unit and Intensive Care Unit. Because those patients cannot be discharged, we agreed to take care of them. There are no new admissions there.

    “There are not many patients in the general wards. Those there are stable. Some of them are only waiting for one or two things to be done before they are discharged.

    “It is a pity that a lot of people who might have been saved by our expertise and the facilities available here are not saved because of the ongoing strike.

    “The technicality is that we are not really on strike. We were at work in August and September and the government did not pay us. The average doctor could not find his way to the hospital because of cash crunch.

    “When schools resumed in September, a lot of us had to appeal to our children’s teachers to allow them into the schools because we had not fulfilled our financial obligations.

    “Many of these factors play a major role when we treat patients and it could get to the point when doctors make mistakes because they are not thinking straight. It becomes a matter of life and death. Before it gets to that point, we need to save ourselves and save the community. That is the major reason for the strike.

    “We have had several meetings with the Federal Government, which was represented by the ministries of Health and Labour. The last we had was with the Ministry of Labour. We have put in place a lot of checks and balances. A lot of agreements have been reached and the way forward proffered.

    “On salary arrears, we have established a task force to go round the 16 centres across the six geo-political zones to clarify how much doctors are being owed, how many doctors are actually on ground and why we have not been paid from the amount released by the Federal Government.”

    Babasanya spoke of the shootage of cash that is threatening the hopsital.

    He said: “We learnt that the Federal Government disbursed some money to these centres. For example, N40 million was disbursed to UCH for the salary of resident doctors and house officers. But the money is not enough to pay our salary. At UCH, we have 200 house officers, who earn N200,000 monthly. If you multiply 200 by N200,000, that is N40 million. So the money cannot cover the salary of residents and house officers. We really need the task force in Ibadan to establish who authorised N40 million for UCH and how much is needed.

    “I have asked chief residents to collate the numbers of residents in UCH so that we can be sure of our figures. An estimate value of salary for residents and house officers will run into N200 million monthly. So, if you say N40 million, you have not started. The hospital cannot pay that N40 million because it will cause more chaos, as only a few people will be paid.”

    He went on: “We are waiting for the task force. It could not come earlier because of the issue of finances in Abuja, but that has been sorted out. We are expecting it on Monday (today), so there can be no justification for calling off the strike before the task force effects the payment.

    “On residency training, an inter-ministerial committee is being set up to address it. The Ministry of Labour and other ministries promised that residency training will be captured in the 2014 budget and we have decided to trust them. If we see the 2014 budget and residency training is not captured there, then we will know they have reneged on the promise. For now, we trust them.

    “The only thing we are working on now is salary, which is important, so that resident doctors can have some money to mobilise themselves.”