The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Strike

  • Osun doctors to begin warning strike Wednesday

    Resident doctors in Osun State have said they would begin a three day warning strike from Wednesday to Friday.

    Rising from an emergency meeting, the doctors under the aegis of the Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Doctors, said they were ready to join the national strike ordered by the NMA in Abuja.

    The chairman of the NMA in the state, Dr. Suraj Ogunyemi, said it had become difficult for the doctors to meet their family resonsibilities.

    The doctors working with state government, the resident doctors and consultants with the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ife also resolved to assemble at 9.00 am at their state secretariat (the OSAMDO House) along Gbongan road, to start a peaceful protest rally to terminate at the state House of Assembly.

    They also planned to meet on Monday February 22 to review the strike action.

    In his reaction, the media aide to the Osun state governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon said: “The government of Osun has been negotiating with the striking doctors to consider the overall implications of the prevailing economic situation across the country which is not peculiar to OSUN.

    “Over 20,000 other workers of the state have seen the reason why what obtained last year cannot just be feasible this year and that is why the labour force in Osun has consented to the agreed payment structure which is in tune with the realities. If over 20000 workforce in the state could see reason we expect the NMA to look at the issues objectively and not just Join the fray without taking into consideration the realities of the moment.

    “The government has held so many meetings and at some point they even said they could see clearly the situation and they would convey a meeting and get back to the government. It was shocking therefore to know that the doctors went back on their words and giving false impression that the government does not want to negotiate with them.

    “There are eminent and accomplished Nigerians in the medical profession who had called them to see reason. Agreed they render essential services which concern saving of lives but the Hypocratic Oaths they swore to should make them think through it that in the face of the current economic realities, it would amount to unfair deal on the part of the doctors not to consider the fact that the government had shifted grounds to satisfy their demands.

    “The Aregbesola administration has the record of promoting workers welfare of all categories. If there is no other thing involved we expect doctor to even lead the campaigns for understanding with the government believing that the vagaries of the global economy is what they should understand.”

     

  • Kogi workers end two-month strike

    Kogi workers end two-month strike

    Members of the rganized labour in Kogu State have reportedly called of their over two months strike over unpaid salaries.

    The workers last year December 23 embarked on indefinite strike over accumulated salary arrears owed them by the administration of ex-governor Idris Wada.

    The workers who are currently owed four months’ salary were Tuesday commended by the new governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for calling off their strike.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Abdulkarim Abdulmalik, in a statement issued Tuesday in Lokoja, said he thanked labour leaders for shelving their industrial action.

    The governor, he said, commended the organized labour for calling off their industrial action which commenced prior to his inauguration.

    He said that their decision to repudiate the strike was borne out of their confidence in his government.

    The governor expressed regret over what he described as the pathetic situation of the workers who are being owed several months’ salaries, saying his government will look into the issue dispassionately with a view to finding a permanent solution to it.

    He assured civil servants in the state of the readiness of his government to build an iron-cast relationship with labour in order to deliver good governance to the people of the state and give hope to all Kogites.

  • FCT NULGE suspends three days warning strike

    FCT NULGE suspends three days warning strike

    The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) FCT chapter, has suspended its three-day warning strike which began on Monday across the six area councils.

    Mr. Terry Isaac, the NULGE Secretary, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

    Isaac said that the union decided to suspend the strike after a meeting with the FCT Permanent Secretary.

    He said that the FCT administration agreed to pay the three months salary arrears it owed the area councils’ workers before the end of next week.

    “The management promised to pay one month salary within the week.

    “But we are of the opinion that they pay the three months together before the end of next week which they agreed.

    “We have endured for three months and we did not die and I believe we will not die before the end of next week.

    “My advice to the workers is that we should give them the benefit of the doubt and resume work from Tuesday,’’ he said.

    The secretary also said that failure to honour the agreement would lead to the union going on an indefinite strike.

  • Dock workers threaten strike

    Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) yesterday threatened to shut down the nation’s ports over an alleged approval granted by the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amechi to the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) for the sack of about 3, 000 dock workers.

    Apparently surprised by the alleged approval, MWUN urged the Minister to immediately state the true position so that the workers could decide on the next line of action, which may include shutting down the ports.

    The group has already written to the Minister, seeking audience with him over the matter to avert industrial unrest in the ports.

    A statement endorsed by its Secretary General, Mr. Aham Ubani,  condemned  the report alleging that the Minister had given NPA the nod to sack Tally Clerks, Onboard Security members of the union.

    He insisted that no such decision was taken by the Minister at the stakeholders’ meeting held on January 20 at the conference room of the Ministry in Abuja. MWUN therefore, accused NPA management of master-minding the purported sack because of its agenda to secure illegal engagement of cargoes surveyors.

  • We are not for strike, says IPMAN

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Ni-geria (IPMAN) has refuted reports that the association will embark on strike. Some IPMAN members had  threatened that  the association would embark on a nationwide strike over perceived imbalance in the sharing and distribution of petroleum products to marketers.

    IPMAN National Operations Controller, Comrade Mike Osatuyi, in a statement debunked the strike threat. He said IPMAN has not given any ultimatum on nationwide strike.

    Osatuyi said the association learnt that some marketers who are not members of IPMAN are spreading the misleading information among the public. He said: “Our attention has been drawn to a media briefing by some marketers parading themselves as IPMAN members, calling for a nationwide strike over petroleum product sharing formula.

    “The national body did not plan any strike. We, the national body of the union is not planning to embark on any strike, because we don’t have any issues with the government whatsoever. I appeal to Nigerians and all independent marketers to go ahead with their normal businesses and avoid creating panic buying in the market.”

    He lauded the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the petroleum distribution formula, adding that IPMAN has not been in  anyway slighted in the present sharing and distribution formula. “Independent marketers were given the opportunity to buy products at government approved ex-depot price which enabled us sell at government’s approved pump price of N86.50 per litre.”

    Osatuyi praised NNPC over petrol intervention scheme given to marketers to augment distribution, urging government to make the product available to marketers.

    He commended the steps taken by President Muhammadu Buhari to reposition the NNPC for greater efficiency. He said the measures inspire hope and confidence in the future of the nation.

    He noted that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, is a renowned oil industry expert with the requisite global exposure, competence and integrity.

    He said it was important for all IPMAN members to showcase what government was doing about special intervention fuel supply to marketers, which came to their stations at no extra cost. The Federal Government, through NNPC/PPMC, should be lauded for these special schemes.

    “The only way to ensure total eradication of queues in the country is when this intervention of petrol supply is sustainable,” he said.

    Osatuyi urged NNPC/PPMC to ensure sustainability of supply so their members could sell at approved price of N86.50 per litre.

    A group that identified themselves as IPMAN members had issued a 14-day ultimatum to the NNPC to regularise the present formula or risk stoppage of operations.

  • Let’s strike a bold new economic direction

    The Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics recently informed us that 60.9% of Nigerians live in ‘absolute poverty’, and that more of us are daily falling into that category. One of our former presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo, has warned repeatedly that youth unemployment in our country is over 70%, stating that it is a major factor of our poverty and that Nigeria, for this reason, is sitting on a time bomb. Most Nigerians don’t understand the enormous weight that youth unemployment means. Our youths (aged 17 to 38) constitute the overwhelming majority of our population. Some statisticians say that people of this age bracket constitute as much as over 60% of our population. But they are not merely the majority amongst us, they are also the naturally strongest, most dynamic and most capable of production. They produce and nurse most of our babies and therefore have an enormous impact on our national character. They are the most agile, most inquisitive, most inventive and most venturesome section of our population. When we say that 70% of them are unemployed, we are saying something of tremendous importance. We are saying that we are losing the productive contribution of the largest, strongest, most dynamic and most productive section of our population. Rather than receiving production from them, we are having to provide for them from the little that the rest of us are able to produce. That is a major reason why more and more of us are falling into abject poverty. Massive youth unemployment is not something we should even think of living with. It is too dangerous. For instance it is not only robbing us of productivity, it is also plunging our society into crime. Denied productive employment, the agile hands and legs of our youth are producing aberrant behaviour in all sorts of fearful directions. As a result, informed observers classify Nigeria as one of the most unsafe places in the world in peacetime.

    For decades, the truth of our existence as a country has been hidden from us (especially from the leaders and rulers of the nation) by the large revenues from crude oil. Our federal rulers could look at the endless seas of cash brought in by the rents and royalties of crude oil and delude themselves that we are a rich country. Our state governors and local government managers could go to Abuja and return with fat cheques and also deceive themselves that we are a rich country. Upon that whole edifice of self-deception, they proceeded to build a gigantic culture of public corruption. But now, the oil bonanza seems to be vanishing. Our self- deception is about to come to a crashing halt. We are obviously about to confront some very unpleasant truths as a nation. It is time for us to rush back to our youths – the most productive part of our economy- and call upon them to help. A bold new direction is urgently called for in our economy.

    Fortunately at this critical moment, we have a president who has promised change and has declared war on the culture of public corruption. It is therefore greatly welcome that President Muhammadu Buhari, in his first budget, is promising major steps towards youth development in order to empower and employ our youths. We must pray that he is able to push it as fast and as far as the situation demands. While he and his men are putting together the elements of the programme on youth development, I would like to offer him the suggestion that he should look at what Singapore did between 1965 and 1975. By 1965 Singapore was a desperately poor province of the Federation of Malaysia. It had no resources in land, forests, minerals, or even soft water. It was riddled with violent, corrupt and riotous politics. Almost all its youths were unemployed and unemployable. Crime was rampant. To do business at all, business owners usually had to surrender to extortion and make regular secret payments to criminal gangs. Masses of youths frequently rioted in the streets and the federal government regularly deployed security forces there to tackle the riots. One huge riot in 1965 went on for three months! As a result of this constant trouble, the federal prime minister proposed at the parliament that Singapore be expelled from the federation. Parliament overwhelmingly approved and Singapore suddenly found itself a separate country without any preparation. No country can be poorer than that. The leading Singaporean politician, a lawyer named Lee Kuan Yew, wept as he made the devastating announcement to his country. “For me and for Singapore”, he sobbed over the radio, “this is a day of anguish”.

    Yet, by 1975, 10 years later, Singapore had become one of the most successful economies in the world.  By 1976 when I visited Singapore, most of the world was already celebrating Singapore as “the Asian Success Model”. So how did Singapore do it? The central piece in their programme of development was to focus on the youth and to call them out to work. But first as preliminary, all the politicians agreed to commit to a responsible, cautious and orderly politics. As the country’s partisan and inter-ethnic politics simmered down, the youth riots gradually waned too. Then the government and leaders agreed on a bold new agenda to make the youths employable. Various institutions were created to teach modern job skills. Some businesses were licensed to teach job skills in their premises under government supervision.  All of the training was accompanied by very serious programmes of work ethics. To prepare the younger children for the system, very serious effort was put into improving education at the primary and secondary levels. Within years, Singapore’s workers had become known worldwide as skilled workers and highly dependable employees. As a result, businesses hurried to establish branches in Singapore and investors rushed there. Singapore’s people themselves then developed confidence to start businesses. By and by, a strong programme of infrastructural development followed. Singapore has continued to prosper. Its workmen are proud in their skills and in their efficiency and high work ethics. They are known to always seek to improve their service in all directions. Singapore’s educational system is now widely regarded as one of the best in the world. In fact, in education, this little country has much to teach the world, including even the giant, United States of America.

    In short, Nigeria’s youth development programme must focus on a sound combination of job and entrepreneurial skills and work ethics amongst our youths. It is not enough for a young, agile, intelligent and creative person to have good job skills, it is also critically important that he should be loyal to the success of his employers. A great deal of unemployment among our youth is a result of a lack of modern job skills. Even the job opportunities that are available struggle to find skilled workers. For instance our cities are expanding tremendously and that means a lot of jobs in the building trade. Sadly, it is well known that builders these days are having to recruit workmen from other countries.  A foreign company that won a contract to clean and plumb ships in the Apapa ports just could not find suitable Nigerian plumbers and had to recruit low level plumbers from their own country in Europe. It is also well known that there is a myth in Nigeria and abroad, that Nigerian workers are too disloyal to be employed. Of course the myth is unfair to a lot of our youth, but that’s what myths do – they include the good with the bad. Our youths desperately and urgently need a massive national programme of job and entrepreneurial skills and work ethics. We are well able to turn our economy around in just a few years. One must add of course is the promoter of this programme, each state must be used as the development unit in it and the state authorities empowered for that role. I hope President Buhari’s people are reading this. We must all wish them good success.

  • Why Kogi workers should rethink their strike

    SIR: Civil servants in Kogi State can attest to the fact that the Capt Idris Wada  administration considered payment of salaries as a matter of responsibility and ensured its regularity and which was always paid on or before the 25th of every month until recently.

    The precarious economic challenges resulting from the decline in the international price of crude oil and its negative impact on the state’s allocation from the federation account is now threatening Wada’s avowed determination to make workers’ welfare a priority.

    Kogi State has a workforce of over 30,000 with a total wage bill of about N3.2 billion. Until April/May last year when the allocation came down to about N2.8/2.6 billion, the state workers had always had it good. On assumption of office as governor, Capt Idris Wada inherited a number of personnel-related problems, among which were unpaid salaries to teachers, arrears of salaries to local government workers, cases of ghost workers and unqualified persons using fake certificates to gain employment or earn outrageous salaries etc.

    Several screening excersies were carried out to correct the over-bloated wage bill; but even at that, in 2012 Wada inherited the increased relativity and minimum wage to workers of the state. Despite the huge bill, Wada did not look back; instead  he  ensured prompt payment of salaries, without having to lay off workers.

    The challenges of a huge personnel cost, dwindling monthly allocation and uninspiring  Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), however didn’t deter the Wada administration from carrying out infrastructural development across the state.

    Out of the N40 billion earned by the state from the federation account in 2015, and N4billion from internally generated revenue, bringing the state total inflow to N44.7billion, the state expenditure in the year amounted to N46.8billion thus leaving the government with a deficit of over N2billion.

    Kogi State was among the first states that applied for the federal government’s bailout. However, despite  the CBN’s approval of a N50.9 billion loan to enable the state pay its workers – N5.9 billion at the state level and N45billion for the 21 local government councils, the state’s share was withheld for no reason. Even though the state didn’t access the bailout funds which would have helped to clear the two month arrears to the state workers, the governor has managed the state’s resources  in such a way to guarantee a fair deal for all, as the state is better placed in salary payment when compared to states that even collected bailout funds.

    While it is expected that as organised labour, the interest and welfare of workers should be uppermost, the Kogi scenario is one that calls for a rethink and sober reflection.Labour’s action was ill-timed, failing to recognize how the commonwealth of 3.5million people has largely gone to the payment of their salaries alone. Unlike the average Nigerian politician, Capt Wada is sincere and has remained transparent in making the resources accruing to the state available for all to know. We therefore seek for understanding on the part of Labour while we pray and hope that, like a phase – whether in the life of an individual, state or nation –  this (hardship) too shall come to pass.

     

    • Mike Abu,

    Lokoja.

     

  • Kwara teachers to begin strike today

    Kwara teachers to begin strike today

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kwara State has said primary school teachers will today begin strike to protest four months’ salary arrears.

    The Chairman, Comrade Musa Abubakar, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday at Kaiama in Kaiama Local Government, that the union could no longer guarantee industrial harmony, following their unpaid salaries.

    NAN reports that the strike would begin when schools are expected to resume from the first term holiday.

    The NUT chairman said the teachers had been loyal and dedicated to their duties despite government’s failure to pay them salaries.

    He said: “I want to believe they have tried. If federal lawmakers are not paid for four months, I doubt if you will see anybody in the red or green chambers.

    “I recall that in Oyo State, legislators were not paid for just two months and they did not go to work.

    “So for us to have worked for four months without pay, I think the teachers have tried. That was why we told the government that we could not guarantee  industrial harmony again.

    “We cannot guarantee any teacher going to class today to teach with an empty stomach, except the problem is addressed.”

    According to him, workers from other sectors would soon join the strike in the spirit of solidarity.

    The NUT leader decried the government for creating a dichotomy between primary and secondary school teachers.

    He claimed that a Supreme Court judgment in 2002 made state governments responsible for the management and funding of primary schools.

    “It is just unfortunate that a situation as this revolves round primary school teachers.

    “I want to say that if the trend should continue, the primary school system will collapse.”

    Abubakar urged the government to do the right thing.

    “Education is the key and the bedrock of our development, particularly at the grassroots.

    “If this trend is not checked, honestly, this country will run into a problem.”So I enjoin federal, state and local governments to ensure that the ugly trend is checked.”

    He said once that was done, proliferation of private primary schools, due to the public’s loss of confidence in public schools, would be checked.

  • Fed Govt warns against strike

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, has cautioned on incessant strikes, which can truncate the attainment of national goals.

    He made this assertion in Abuja at the weekend, during the presentation of the report of the fact-finding committee into the industrial crisis that paralysed activities at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, for the substantial part of 2014 and 2015.

    Illoh stressed that if various actors in industrial disputes could embrace dialogue in resolving their differences, the developmental agenda of government would be realised.

    He added that management and union officials should see dialogue as an indispensable tool in the resolution of disputes.

    His words: “Resort to strikes and disruption of work processes remains inimical to the overall development of the country. More importantly, the case of Federal Medical Centre Owerri (FMCO) could jeopardize the lives of Nigerians who need the services of the Centre in order to stay alive’’.

    Illoh said the committee was set up in response to a letter from the Presidency by the three Joint-House Unions of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANMM).

    He noted that what led to the industrial action was the alleged introduction of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) by the Medical Director of the FMCO, Dr. Angela Uwakwem and allegations of gross financial misconduct and highhandedness against her.

    He said towards the resolution of the crisis, the Ministry of Labour and Productivity in performing its statutory conciliatory role, set up a fact-finding committee to resolve the crisis, adding that the committee made far-reaching recommendations that could end the industrial action.

    Illoh assured that the ministry would monitor the implementation of the recommendations as well as set up a tripartite monitoring committee to do same.

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, noted that the report of the fact-finding committee is the best thing that has happened to the health sector.

    His said: “We are going to do the needful to make sure that actions are taken based on the recommendations of the report believing that we are doing so in the best  interest of the nation.”

    Calling on care-givers to justify their salaries, he condemned the incessant strikes embarked upon by health workers, which described as detrimental to the nation.

    The chairman of the committee, Mr. Nyamali John Audu, appealed to the Federal Ministry of Health to start the implementation of the recommendations of the committee to avoid further disruption of activities at the Medical Centre, warning that unionism is not a licence to impunity.

    He noted that there are statutory provisions in extant labour law that guides the relationship between unions and management on how to manage and resolve industrial disputes.

    In a related event, Illoh called on all Nigerians, both in the public and private sectors, to support  Federal Government’s efforts at providing social security protection to the vulnerable groups

    The Permanent Secretary, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, Mr. Felix Ogenyi, made this appeal in Abuja while declaring open a stakeholders’ meeting on ‘Addressing the Social Security Needs of the Informal Workers through Cooperative Delivery System’.

  • Teachers on strike for unpaid arrears

    The Abia State Polytechnic chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has begun an indefinite strike to protest unpaid salary arrears.

    Some lecturers expressed disappointment that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu did not fulfil his promise of paying the arrears by October.

    The teachers suspended the marking of exam scripts and supervision of projects, threatening that they would not be part of any academic activity as long as their agitation remained unsolved.

    “We are on strike because the Federal Government gave bailout based on debt. Abia Poly was in arrears of six months, which amounted to N900, 000,000 but the government and the committee argued that the N2 billion the school owed banks had been acquired by the state and instead gave Abia Poly a subvention of six months instead of paying salaries from the bailout. The subvention amounted to N300,000,000, making the school to source money elsewhere to pay us three of the six months.

    “To worsen the situation, the government went on air to say it paid Abia Poly seven months arrears from the bailout. So, we are on strike to tell the world it is a lie and to tell the state to complete the payment.

    “It is a unanimous agreement that until the salary arrears are paid, we won’t come back to work,” the workers said.

    Acting Rector Prof. Uche Ikonne could not be reached for comments and Governor Ikpeazu’s Chief Press Secretary Mr. Godwin Adindu was yet to respond to messages sent to his phone as at press time.