The Nation Newspaper

Tag: quota

  • Expatriate quota: Labour queries govt

    The Federal Government has been criticised by the organised labour for failing to checkmate expatriate quota abuse by multinationals.

    National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) President  Lateef Oyelekan, who spoke at the inuaguration of the Kwara/Kogi/Niger branch secretariat of the union in Ilorin, said the government’s failure to act decisively has further compounded unemployment in the country.

    “Our government should take this issue of expatraite quota abuse seriously and take a decision that will be beneficial to the country just as the government of Ghana has done,” he said.

    The law of the country, he noted, only allows expatriates on technical ground, but the multinationals, he lamented, no longer respect the law.

    According to him, they now bring in expatriate as line managers, accountants, sale and marketing managers, including other jobs that Nigerians are more qualified to do.

    He said: “Government should ensure that no expatriate comes in for the jobs that Nigerians can do, especially in marketing and sales. When you make a foreigner a marketing director, what does the person know about our terrain and market?

    “Most of our jobs have been taken over by the expatriates and we continue to complain of rising unemployment in the country.”

    Oyelekan said labour would no longer tolerate Nigerians being made second class citizens in their country.

    He recalled that workers in the aviation sector under National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers ( NAAPE ) umbrella recently shut down the operations of the Bristow and Caverton Helicopters nationwide, alleging  expatriate quota abuse and gross violation of workers’ rights.

    The NUFBTE President said all efforts at creating more employment should be encouraged, adding that the union through its entrepreneurial venture has over 200 employees.

    “Our goal is give all our state branches building of their own and empower them to go into business through that more jobs will be created. This we are doing in our little efforts to support the government,” he said.

    He said the inuagurated secretariat’s foundation was laid in 1993, but his leadership as part of the commitment to position the union as self sustaining with little reliance on the employers, undertook several ventures and completed many of such projects.

    Michael Imoudu Labour Institute (MINILS) Director-General, Alhaji Saliu Alabi, who represented the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, at the event commended the union for its foresight to remain financially relevant  in spite of the dwindling check off dues.

    Nigeria Breweries Employee Relations Manager, Mr. Niyi Alabi, equally described the new building as a national pride, built in spite of the recession. He urged the union to extend the goodwill to other councils.

  • Union urges Buhari to halt expatriate quota abuse

    Union urges Buhari to halt expatriate quota abuse

    •’Nigerians’ jobs threatened

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to end expatriate quota abuse by foreign construction companies in the country.

    Workers claimed that the practice is taking a toll on the welfare of the few Nigerians in the industry.

    Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) President, Comrade Isaac Egbugara, said at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, that the jobs of Nigerians in the industry were now threatened.

    He called on the regulatory authorities to monitor, enforce and sanction erring construction companies.

    Egbugara said: “The NEC-in-session observed with dismay that numerous construction companies operating in the country deliberately flout the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially as it concerns expatriate quota. While seriously frowning at this, we call on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to revisit the ‘Local Content Bill for the construction industry’, which has dragged-on for longer than necessary.”

    He regretted the mass retrenchment of construction workers across the country, blaming it on the poor funding of projects, especially those belonging to the government.

    While urging the government to, as a matter of urgency,  pay the debts owed construction companies, especially for completed projects, Egbugara urged the government to adequately fund ongoing projects in order to reduce the high level of job loss in the industry.

    The union, he said, also advocated a bailout for the industry as was done to the state governments, urging the government to declare a state of emergency in the industry as one of the major employers of labour to avoid a total collapse of an industry that employs more workers outside the civil service.

    Concerning the improvement in the nation’s security, most especially the significant progress recorded in the fight against insurgency in the Northeastern part of Nigeria, the construction workers said it was commendable as it would be in the best interest of the construction industry and favour even infrastructural development of the country.

    Also commended was the government’s resilience and doggedness  in fighting corruption and its resolve to save the nation from the serious rot and decay that has almost brought the country to its knees, especially the ongoing drive to recover looted public funds.

  • 2016 Hajj: Buhari urged to seek quota increase for Nigeria

    2016 Hajj: Buhari urged to seek quota increase for Nigeria

    The Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), an NGO, on Tuesday advised President Muhammadu Buhari to appeal to the Saudi Arabian Government to increase Hajj quota for the country.

    This is contained in a statement jointly issued in Abuja by the National Coordinator and Publicity Secretary of the group, Messrs Ibrahim Muhammed and Abubakar Mahmoud, respectively.

    The statement noted that the visit of Buhari to Saudi Arabia provided an opportunity for him to plead for Hajj quota increment for the country because of its large number of Muslim population.

    It said that in 2015, Indonesia Hajj quota was increased by 10,000 after Indonesia’s president pleaded with the then King Salman during their bilateral meeting.

    “In the last three years, the number of Hajj seats allocation to Nigeria stands at 76,000 due to the 20 per cent cut necessitated by the Grand Mosque expansion project,’’ said the statement.

    It also recalled that prior to the 20 per cent slash Nigeria’s annual allocation was about 92,000; which the group noted was grossly inadequate.

    “Within the same period, however, countries like Pakistan, India and Indonesia are allocated 94,000; 143,000 and 160,000, respectively.

    “But as for Nigeria, a country with over 60 million Muslim population, got 76,000 Hajj seats,” the statement said.

    It therefore urged the president to request for more Hajj seats for Nigeria as more than a million Nigerian Muslims compete for the 76,000 available slots allocated to the country yearly.

    The statement observed that the reduction had made it difficult for those who have the capacity and ability to perform their religious obligation.

    It suggested that seats that were not fully utilised by other nations could be given to Nigeria to ease the challenge of scarcity of Hajj seats.

    It also urged Saudi Hajj Authorities to consider the request for increase in Hajj seats in view of the tremendous progress made by Nigeria in terms of compliance with Hajj rules.

     

  • ‘Address abuse of expatriate quota’

    Worried by the high rate of unemployment in the country, the Organised Labour has urged the Federal Government to protect Nigerian youths through the re-appraisal of the existing law guiding expatriate quota. The workers under the aegis of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) lamented the flagrant abuse of expatriate quota by foreign firms operating in the country.

    The union, in a communique jointly signed by the President General, Comrade Amechi Asugwuni and the General Secretary, Comrade Babatunde Liadi, noted that many foreigners, especially Asians and Chinese are in Nigeria on the excuse of being experts on the jobs that can be performed by Nigerians. They argued that this is against the Nigerian Content Development (NCD) Act.

    “Therefore the National Executive Council (NEC-in-session) call on the necessary organ of government to review the process of granting expatriate permit through proper synchronization as well as ensuring that expatriate quota are not abused”, the statement read. The union’s NEC demanded for a properly reconstituted inter-ministerial department and agency committee that will co-opt labour unions in recommending and approving expatriate registration.

    The Union re-affirmed workers inalienable rights to belong to the union of their choice in accordance with the laws of the land and ILO Conventions, which had already been domesticated in Nigeria. As such it charged the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity  not to allow employers to scuttle processes and ensure prompt implementation of award against the employers.

    The statement commended the alertness of the Union in monitoring of employers’ compliance with best industrial relations practices in the industry, noting that it has helped to reduce friction between the union and employers, put management on their toes, facilitate alertness and make both the Government and employers to appreciate the need to be proactive in nipping issues in the bud.

    The Union, which condemned the state of casualisation and contract staffing in the country, also resolved that any employment model or policy that is found to be deceptively exploitative with the tendency to degrade jobs or weaken the union will be strongly resisted.