The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Strike

  • NUPENG plans warning strike Jan 9

    NUPENG plans warning strike Jan 9

    •Union to protest IOCs’ unfair practices

    The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) is planning a three-day warning strike on January 9, to protest alleged anti-labour practice of International Oil Companies (IOCs).

    Its Southwest Chairman, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos the strike was inevitable.

    He said: “We are not gaining anything by going on strike because it is not a joyful thing. But as a union, we have to protect and fight for welfare of our members.

    “We have sensitised the public and sought the intervention of the Federal Government on anti-labour activities of IOCs, but we are not getting results.

    “Our members that put in their best within the duration of time they worked were not paid their severance package by their employers when they sacked them.

    “This is a big slap and it will not be allowed.

    “What they are practising here in Nigeria, they cannot practise in their countries. So, that is why we say enough is enough.

    “We will take the bull by the horns.”

    The union’s chairman said what led to the planned strike was inherited by the administration, while some occurred within the same government.

    “Two hundred and fifty members of our union were affected by the divestment by Chevron Nigeria Ltd., in Southeast.

    “And this is giving us a serious concern because they cannot feed their families.

    “The Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, asked parties to maintain the status-quo ante and we complied because we respect the authority.”

    “But the IOCs seem to be above the law or more powerful than the government; they failed to maintain the status-quo ante agreed to by parties.

    “Chevron had to tell our 250 members that their contract with it was no more binding on it because it cannot trace the company that employed them as contract workers for it.

    “The minister said Chevron had to pay the sacked workers, but its management refused to comply.

    “It got to a time when Ngige called for a meeting in Abuja to mediate; at times its representatives would not show up.

    “We would risk our lives and resources to Abuja, no IOCs member would come.

    “Even when their representatives came, they would be those without a mandate to represent the organisation just to frustrate the discussion,’’ Korodo said.

    He alleged that all other IOCs in the country were involved in these anti-labour practices.

    “We do not want the public to see the strike as if we are punishing Nigerians.

    “That’s why we are using this period to protest by asking tanker drivers to hang green leaves on their trucks and our members to wear red cloth.

    “By next year, if our grievances are not addressed within this period, we will proceed on a three-day warning strike.

  • Cost of court workers’ strike in Aba

    Stakeholders in Aba, Abia State have expressed relief as court workers resumed duties after calling of their industrial action.

    Court workers in the state downed tools last month, protesting, among other things, the refusal of the state government to grant financial autonomy to judiciary workers.

    The situation, The Nation gathered, caused judicial lockdown in the state as matters for judicial consideration in various courts were placed on hold.

    The strike has been called off, much to the relief of everyone. Some respondents described the call-off as a big relief for justice seekers whose cases had been pending in court since the industrial action started.

    Our reporter who visited the Aba North and South Magistrate Courts along Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway and Old Post Office reports that staff members of the two courts were seen at duty posts attending to lawyers who were in court to pick new dates for their cases.

    A Divisional Police Officers (DPO) who craved anonymity told our reporter that the prolonged strike action by judiciary workers made their detention cells to be overcrowded because they couldn’t arraign some of their suspects in court and could not grant them bail either because of the weight of the crime that they committed.

    “Some of the suspects were hardened criminals who were caught with dangerous weapons such as AK-47, cut-to-size shot guns, live ammunition which they used for armed robbery, kidnapping, car snatching at gunpoint and what we do when we arrest such criminals is to immediately charge them to court from where they will be remanded in the prisons.“

    Some lawyers including Mr Nkemakolam said due to the strike, many were denied justice when they needed it.

    He said, “The last hope of the common man was shut down, giving room to security agencies and other individuals the opportunity to exploit and abuse the rights of others who would have come to court to seek justice. People have been held in police cells for over a month due to the inability of police to charge them to court.”

     

  • Oyo college shut over lecturers’ strike

    The Oyo State College of Agricultural Technology (OYSCATECH) in Igboora has been shut, following a 21-day strike  by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) over alleged non-payment of  salaries.

    The union went on the warning strike after an emergency meeting held last Thursday, following the expiration of the ultimatum given management to pay workers nine-month arrears. The union said its members had been working without pay for months, noting that many of them are dying of hunger.

    ASUP said it had exhausted all avenues, including goodwill, to resolve the matter, but said strike was the only language understood by the management.

    In its letter to the registrar signed by the chairman, Afees Adeniyi, and Secretary, Mr O.O. Opadijo, ASUP asked the management to pay the nine months salary arrears to ameliorate members’ financial predicament, saying doing so would save its members from untimely death.

    “We demand constitution of a high-powered Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Monitoring Committee outside the Bursary department to monitor the income and expenditure of the college in order to ensure transparency.

    “We demand immediate stoppage of payment of our salaries in fractions. We want the government to grant 100 per cent subvention to our college. This strike will be total. There will be no activities on campus. No examination, no project supervision and no attendance of any statutory meetings, either in academic board, faculty, department or committee.”

    The union also called for improved infrastructure and provision of modern teaching materials to aid learning. The 21-day strike is expected to end on December 27.

  • FG, ASUU get two week deadline to resolve issue

    FG, ASUU get two week deadline to resolve issue

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Thursday brokered a two-week deadline for the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to settle three outstanding issues.
    Three issues out eight are said to be outstanding.
    The resolution of the three issues would avert a nation wide strike planned by ASUU.
    Saraki personally participated in resumed negotiation between the Federal Ministry of Education and the leadership of ASUU held at the National Assembly on Thursday.
    Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu also took part in the negotiation.
    The three outstanding issues yet to be resolved are “Earned Allowances” which ASUU is asking to be paid to its members.
    The Federal Government however said that N30 billion had already been paid for the purpose.
    The government delegation to the meeting was said to have insisted that the audit of the usage of N30billion should be made before further fund are released.
    At their last meeting, the Senate Education Committee suggested that the government should give universities N1.5 billion monthly which ASUU rejected on the basis that the amount is too meagre.
    Another issue the meeting failed to resolve was paying of the salaries and allowances of the staff of university primary schools.
    The payment of 15 per cent of the education budget for each year to the University Education Committees, is another issue in contention.
    A source said that the Minister of Education Adamu, assured that the issues would be resolved in three days.
    Adamu was also said to have said that if the issues were resolved there may not be need to come to the Senate again.
     ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi thanked Saraki and the Senate committee on Education for their intervention assured that the three outstanding issues would be resolved within three days.
    It was also learnt that issues for resolution rose from six to eight because some of the issues had to be broken into subsets.
  • Lufthansa strike leaves passengers stranded

    Lufthansa strike leaves passengers stranded

    Hundreds of Nigerian passengers were yesterday  stranded at airports in Lagos, Abuja  and Port Harcourt  as pilots of German carrier,  Lufthansa Airlines embarked on a strike over pay rise.

    The strike will affect over 100,000 passengers on its global network.

    The airline is expected to lose between $7.4 million and $ 9.6 million per day .

    The action  will affect flights departing from German airports, including 51 long-haul  scheduled flights.

    Flights  by Lufthansa‘s other airlines, including Germanwings, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Brussels Airlines, will not be affected.

  • Labour leaders suspend strike in Ogun

    Labour leaders suspend strike in Ogun

    Organised Labour leaders have resolved to suspend the state workers strike that totally shut down government business in the last 12 days in Ogun State.

    The decision followed the outcome of the 10 hours meeting between the state government, national and state labour leaders.

    More details later.

  • Strike: Ogun mums lament lack of access to immunisation

    Strike: Ogun mums lament lack of access to immunisation

    •There’re alternative facilities, says govt

    Thousands of mothers in Ogun State, particularly in the rural areas, are lamenting their lack of access to local governments and state health care centres for immunisation of their babies.

    This followed the strike by Organised Labour, which crippled activities in the state.

    Immunisation is handled at the council health facilities, but all had been locked since the October 20 strike.

    It was observed that nurses were absent, and the health centres locked.

    At the Family Health Clinic, Oke-Ilewo, in Abeokuta South Local Government, mothers returned home in frustration.

    Mrs. Adeyinka Ronke told The Nation that she brought her six-month baby to collect Vitamin A drops and take the measles vaccine, but no one was around to attend to her.

    Many said they had no knowledge nurses were part of the strike, lamenting they will pay triple to obtain immunisation from private clinics.

    But Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health Dr. Nafiu Aigoro said people can approach state hospitals, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, and Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, to immunise their babies.

    Aigoro advised mothers to also visit Babcock University Hospital, Ilisan, and others since private health centres collect vaccines from the state’s cold store.

  • UPTH resident doctors suspend strike

    …Management applauds Health Minister’s intervention during the crisis

     

    Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) branch has suspended ten weeks strike embarked upon by the union on August 3rd , 2016 following some local and national issues that were in contention.

    In a joint press briefing Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, which was led by the Chief Medical Director (CMD) Prof. Aaron Ojule, with other senior staff of the hospital and the leadership of the resident doctors, call for immediate resumption of duty by all staff of the hospital.

    Prof. Ojule while addressing the press applauded the Minster of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, his counterpart Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the resident doctors and other medical elders who he said were instrumental in the resolution of the crises.

    He said there has been a significant paradigm-shift in the funding and running of public hospitals in Nigeria, adding that public hospital including UPTH now rely heavily on internally generated revenue in order to sustain acceptable level of healthcare service delivery.

    He appealed to well-meaning private citizens and corporate organizations such as the multi-national oil companies to come to the aid of the hospital through their corporate social responsibility to improve the infrastructure and services in the hospital.

    He noted that the most concern of the hospital is the problem of mosquito infestation, stressing that the management is doing its best to control the scourge but lack the financial capacity to end afflict.

    Prof. Ojule said: “We by this press briefing inform the general public that the issue in contention have been amicably resolved and normal healthcare delivery service would resume in this hospital from 8: am October 21, 2016. And we came out of these crises stronger than we were.

    “Thing has been amplified by the current economic recession with associated inflation and fluctuation in the foreign exchange market. These factors have largely increased the cost of inputs in the delivery of healthcare services.

    “In consideration of this challenging operating environment, management wishes to inform the general public of a possible marginal increase in the cost of service in the very near future in order to sustain good quality healthcare services.”

     

     

  • Ondo varsity reopens as ASUU suspends strike

    The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its three-month strike, following an agreement with the school management.

    The lecturers declared an indefinite strike last July over the failure of the government to pay their outstanding salaries.

    In a statement by the ASUU Chairman, Dr Sola Fayose, after an emergency meeting, the union said it resolved to suspend the strike after the government paid part of the arrears and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the outstanding.

    Fayose said the union expected the management and the Governing Council to abide by the MoU to avoid further action.

    The university management advised students to resume for completion of the second semester.

    A statement by the Registrar, Mr Sunday Ayeerun, urged students to resume as lectures would start immediately.

    The campus became lively again, as students returned in droves. The  suspension of the strike was greeted with excitement. Traders, artisans, commercial motorcyclists and mini-bus drivers, who are mostly patronised by students, expressed relief, saying the community was  comatose when the school was shut.

    Students’ Union Government (SUG) President Adegbola Odunyemi said: “We are happy about the news. Although the effects of the strike on students are unquantifiable, we thank God that we are back to complete the 2015/2016 academic session.

    “We want both ASUU and management to look for other means of settling their differences, rather than embarking on strike. The state government should also improve on its subvention to the university. Recession notwithstanding, the government should commit itself to funding the school so that it will be able to meet up with its statutory obligations.”

  • OOU workers suspend strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Olabisi Onanbanjo University (OOU) chapter, has suspended its strike.

    The suspension followed a congress, held  at the permanent site in Ago Iwoye on September 22.

    It was learnt that the school management has paid the accrued salary of two months to the lecturers. Besides, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun said he has paid a substantial amount of the school’s accrued subvention, adding that architects and others would soon begin work on projects in the institution.

    But the association is threatening to resume the strike after two weeks if all its demands are not met.