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Tag: RATTAWU

  • RATTAWU inaugurates first elected executives of APCON chapter

    RATTAWU inaugurates first elected executives of APCON chapter

    The first elected executive members of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) chapter of RATTAWU were on Tuesday inaugurated, with a charge to use dialogue to resolve labour issues.

    “There is a modern and advanced approach to resolving industrial relations issues, and that approach is dialogue.

    “Let us be guided by this approach to move the union and this organisation forward,’’ Mr Kabir Tsanni, President of RATTAWU  – Radio, Television, Theater and Arts Workers’ Union of Nigeria – said at the inauguration in Lagos.

    The RATTAWU president described the inauguration as memorable, noting that it was the first and aimed at improving industrial relations, workers’ welfare and productivity.

    He commended the management of APCON for encouraging the union, and hoped that industrial harmony would boost APCON’s performance.

    The labour leader, however, said that the union had the right to take action against anyone contravening its rules and constitutional provisions.

    Mr Ahmed Yelwa, the newly-elected Chairman of RATTAWU, APCON chapter, said that his leadership would result in a positive change in workers’ welfare and productivity.

    Yelwa said that it was honour for him to be the first elected chairman of the chapter.

    He promised to be diligent, and appealed for support from APCON management.

    In his remarks, Alhaji Garba Kankarofi, APCON Registrar, said that APCON workers were humble and hardworking.

    He advised the newly-elected officers and other APCON workers to respect constituted authorities.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APCON chapter of RATTAWU was inaugurated on Nov. 9, 2016.

    Mr Adewale Akande, Vice President, RATTAWU, South-West, who inaugurated the chapter in company with some other executives, charged the chapter to give priority attention to industrial harmony and members’ welfare.

    “We are not a union of thugs; trade unionism is different from student unionism; therefore, caution should be the guiding principle,’’ Akande had said.

    Mrs Emme Akande was appointed the Chairperson, Mr Austin Neboh, Secretary; and Mr Hadiza Bello,  Treasurer, to lead the chapter for six months and conduct an election.

  • Censors Board: Adedayo allays fears of RATTAWU on staff wellbeing

    Censors Board: Adedayo allays fears of RATTAWU on staff wellbeing

    ASSURING the leadership of Radio, Television, Theatre, and Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) of Nigeria of President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to political appointees on the need to maintain industrial harmony in their parastatals, new Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Mr. Adedayo Thomas, noted that staff welfare will be one of the top priorities of the NFVCB under his watch.

    Thomas was responding to an appeal by the National President of RATTAWU, Comrade Kabir Garba Tsanni, who led the Union executives on a courtesy call to the Censors Board chief in Abuja, on Wednesday.

    Comrade Tsanni who acknowledged the sensitive role of the NFVCB in safeguarding the values of the society, enthused that films were carriers of values which no society should neglect. He informed the management of the Board that his delegation came to seek the understanding of the Board on the need for continuing staff training and labour-friendly work environment.

    National General Secretary of the union, Comrade Akpausoh Akpausoh, had earlier praised the ED and the Board for being labour and gender-friendly in the composition of the management of the Board and their relationship with staff.

    Although Thomas lamented the financial challenges faced by the Board, he assured of his commitment to make the organisation stable and buoyant in executing its statutory roles. He maintained that despite the operational constraints of the Board, he was able to, within few days of assumption of office; influence the approval of promotion for some staff members with the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    He however, urged the union to help enlighten staff of the Board to resume by 8am and close by 4pm on every work day, so as to adhere to their part of the contract with the government.

  • NUJ, RATTAWU disrupt Bayelsa Radio’s operations

    The labour dispute at Radio Bayelsa yesterday resulted in the disruption of operations, as members of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) protested at the station’s entrance.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports workers had threatened to shut down the station, but government officials intervened.

    The station could not broadcast its news and current affairs programme, ‘Hot Sea’, as the guest, Bayelsa State Commandant of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, was locked out of the premises.

    NAN learnt the workers urged Governor Seriake Dickson to remove the General Manager, Dr. John Idumange.

    The workers organised a fasting and prayer session at the station before the protest.

    Reports said the move by Idumange, who was appointed on December 6, to reposition the station, caused disagreement between workers and management.

    Following disruption of programmes, government officials, led by Chief of Staff to Bayelsa Governor Mr. Talford Ongolo came to the station to meet workers’ representatives.

    The Information commissioner summoned the general manager and union leaders to resolve the dispute.

    The workers said since assumption of office on December 6, Idumange had not convened any management meeting.

    The general manager dismissed the allegations, accusing the unions of being used to sabotage his efforts to reposition the station.

    He told NAN the workers were afraid of certificate verification, insisting there was no going back, as it was authorised by the supervising ministry.

    Idumange said anyone who did not participate in the exercise would be declared a ghost worker.

    “The exercise is not my brainchild. My predecessor had compiled a list of over 200 workers for redeployment.

    “Those who wish to continue working here should participate or risk losing their jobs,’’ he said.

    The general manager said the senior officials affected by the reforms used the unions to resist them.

    He said the exercise was to ensure employees were placed in the appropriate sections, as well as to fish out those with fake certificates.

    Idumange said: “There is nothing like industrial disharmony. This small radio station has 346 workers. Employment and job placement have never followed due process.

    “To correct these anomalies, we are beginning a certificate and workers’ verification, which will last four days.

    “Most of those with fake certificates are afraid and are creating unrest.”

    He went on: “They wrote me to stop the exercise, but the Ministry of Information said it must continue. Ghost workers must be fished out and the payroll cleaned up.

    “The station’s wage bill is N35 million monthly and it is not sustainable. My predecessor incurred N40million debt.

    “The unions are instigated by the heads of department involved in the illegal recruitment.”

  • RATTAWU honours VC

    Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES) Chapter, has conferred an Achiever Award on the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU) Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Oladipo Aina. The award is in recognition of Aina’s open-door policy.

    According to RATTAWU, Aina has continued to be active in research, community services, teaching, graduates training and mentoring of new generation of academics. Responding, Aina, who was represented by his Deputy (Development) Prof Victor Adeoluwa, assured that EKSU’s vision to become a world class university would be a reality.

  • RATTAWU plans protest over digital switch

    RATTAWU plans protest over digital switch

    The Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union (RATTAWU)  is not excited by the digital switch scheduled for next year. It said the government is not prepared for the challenges of funding and legislative backing and called for the extension of the take off date to 2020.

    Its President, Comrade Yemisi Gbamgboshe, told reporters that there is no structure in place by for the proposed switch.

    He said: “We  are not in support of the Federal Government digitisation process because of the  challenges of funding, legislative backing, sensitisation of the public, the signal distributor and the  plan for workers as well as no proper structures on ground to suggest that the country is ready for digital switch over in 2015.

    “As a critical stakeholder in the broadcast sector, we have made it known, based on available information, that there are no proper structures on ground to suggest that the country is ready for digital switch over in 2015.”

    RATTAWU also called on its members to be at alert for mass action should the government go ahead with the planned digitisation process when it is obvious that there is no structure in place for the scheme.

    According to Bamgboshe, there is no African country that has switched over except Tanzania. He added that the situation in that country also suggest that the whole process has hit the rocks and may likely return to analogue. He said many European countries have not switched over despite the fact that they started long ago.

    Bamgboshe noted that all over the world, most especially in countries where the switch over have been successfully carried out, it was their governments that bankrolled the project including subsidising the procurement of set top boxes.

    “Although the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), saddled with the responsibility of supervising the switch over, kept assuring stakeholders of its readiness to switch over as scheduled, but the current situation on ground clearly shows that the country is far from ready,” he  said.

  • RATTAWU urges members on professionalism

    RATTAWU urges members on professionalism

    The Radio Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union (RATTAWU) has called on media houses in the country to avoid being card-carrying members of any of the political parties ahead the 2015 general elections to safeguard the integrity of the profession.

    The union in a communiqué signed by its National President, Comrade Yemisi Bamgbose at the end of a capacity workshop organised for the broadcast professionals in the Northeast states and Northwest ,called on broadcast stations in the country to adhere to their civic responsibility of promoting election awareness and avoid speculating on election results.

    Part of the communiqué read: “Broadcast stations in the country must adhere to their civic responsibility of promoting election awareness and  avoid speculating on election results by allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to authenticate and formally announce results using both audio and visual evidences”.

    Participants also called on media organisations and broadcast professionals to adhere to  INEC election guidelines and the National Broadcasting Code in their operations by ensuring balanced reportage on all political issues to ensure fairness and avoid sentiments or biases.

    While participants identified misconceptions and distrust among Nigerians as major factors in conflicts, it advised media organisations at all levels to avoid making live presentations on religious programmes, they however resolved that all religious transcripts should be subjected to editing before going on air.

  • ‘Absence of enabling law threatens digital migration project’

    The Radio, Television  and Theatre Workers  Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) has expressed doubt over the sincerity of the Federal Government at ensuring that the country successfully transit from current analogue broadcasting technology to digital in line with the directive of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to all its member-countries.

    According to the group, while there is no legal teeth to the implementation of the programme in the country, many state governments still keep placing orders for analogue transmitters indicating that the success of the programme has been inextricably tied to the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

    Its Deputy Chair, Sunday Olu Jethro, who spoke in Lagos, said there is no legislation backing the digitisation in the country and expressed reservation about the government’s sincerity at ensuring that the project sails through.

    “Many state governments are still placing orders for analogue transmitters. State governments have not made commitment to digitisation. Stakeholders should look at the dangers of switching over without the enabling law in a country yet to distinguish between politics and governance,” he warned.

    Aside the absence of the enabling laws on the programme, there is also lack of awareness about the programme among the citizens that will be affected by the analogue switch off (ASO) and paucity of funds.

    Driver of the project, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), said it needs tens of billions of naira to execute the project, adding that it is exploring several options of raising the billions including seeking funding from multilateral organisations and discussing with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to see if it could get some level of funding from the broadcast spectrum that will be freed to telecoms as a result of the transition.

    Its Director-General, Emeka Mba, who spoke on the sideline of Digital Migration Summit in Lagos at the weekend, said massive funding and industry collaboration are needed to see to the successful implementation of the programme.

    The  ITU has set next year for member-countries to achieve analogue switch off. Nigeria had set 2012 as terminal date to achieve digital switch over (DSO) but missed the target.

    Mba said DSO requires significant collaboration from everybody, arguing that the impression that it was government or NBC’s project is completely flawed. He said it is a global affair and urging everybody to join hands and make success out of it.

    Speaking on funding on the occasion, Deputy Chair, Senate Committee on Information, Senator Bello Tukur, said there were concerns that the National Assembly is not doing anything currently towards the appropriation of requisite funding to support the digital migration process.

     

    Justifying why the nation has been running the economy without an Appropriation Act, Tukur said: “The 2014 appropriation bill has not been signed into law and there are a lot of reasons for the delay. We budget on the basis of what we have; the revenues we earn. But for the digitisation project, it depends on how you present your case to the House. You can still make representations even if it means going through special funds.”

    Responding Mba hinted that the commission is contemplating setting up a broadcasting fund to drive content development in the sector, adding that NBC is weighing the option of multi-lateral funding agency at single digit interest rates. While calling for the support of all broadcasters, Mba said the Jos pilot scheme will determine the shape of things, adding that digitisation is an opportunity to reinvent television in Nigeria.