The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Strike

  • Strike: JOHESU is illegal, say doctors

    Doctors say they will not join a proposed strike by other workers in the health sector.

    The doctors through the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) also described the union of the other health workers, JOHESU, as illegal.

    JOHESU, which includes all health workers except doctors and dentists, announced on Monday it will commence an indefinite strike later tonight.

    At a press briefing on Tuesday, the NMA president, Mike Ogirima, warned the government against acceding to JOHESU’s demands.

    He said doctors will not join the strike and that the strike is targeted at medical doctors.

  • Varsities’ non-teaching workers suspend strike

    Non-teaching workers in universities, under the auspices of Joint Action Committee (JAC), have suspended their three-month strike.

    They directed their members to resume work today, warning that “we will be forced back to the trenches if the government fails to honour its agreement within the next five weeks.”

    The government last week agreed to source about N8 billion to settle part of the earned allowance of non-teaching staff and some of the academic workers in universities, who did not benefit from the N23 billion earlier released by the government.

    Addressing reporters yesterday, the JAC National Chairman, Comrade Samson Ugokwe, said although the strike was unavoidable, they were forced to resort to it following the government’s consistent failure to honour its agreement with the unions and diverting the money meant for the entire university system to one union.

    He said although members were not happy that the unions had to sign another memorandum of understanding with the government, when the previous ones were not honoured, the leadership of the unions decided to suspend the strike with effect from yesterday.

    Ugokwe said: “The belief that the government through its representatives will be honourable this time and based on extensive consultations with our organs, we hereby announce the suspension of the strike embarked on by the Joint Action Committee of NAAT, NASU and SSANU with effect from today, March 14.”

  • NMA threatens to go on strike in Edo

    The Nigeria Medical Association (MNA) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to Governor Godwin Obaseki to resolve issues in the health sector or face indefinite strike.

    The NMA embarked on a five-day warning strike, which ended March 11.

    State Chairman of NMA, Dr. Osaigbovo Emmanuel, who spoke in Benin City, decried the manner the government had handled negotiations with the body in the last one year.

    Dr. Osaigbovo said the indefinite strike would commence on April 1 and that doctors in private practice might be asked to join.

    Osaigbovo listed its demands as revamping the health sector, addressing infrastructural decay, and employment of more doctors.

    He said some hospitals in the state had no doctor as only 180 doctors were spread across 34 general hospitals.

    Dr. Osaigbovo said: “The morale of doctors is very low and made worse by the fact that there are inadequate facilities as well as poor working environment.

    “Doctors employed into the state hospitals are the least paid in the country due to non-implementation of the appropriate salary scale approved for doctors nationwide. This has led to continuous drain of doctors from the state hospitals. They have become endangered species because they are far behind their counter-parts in other states.”

  • ICYMI: JAC set call-off strike

    Joint Action Committee ( JAC ) in Nigerian Universities consisting of NASU, SSANU and NAAT is set to call-off their Over three months strike action.

    This decision was confirmed by Comrade Abudulsubor Salaam National Public Relations Officer of SSANU.

    He said that the striking workers will meet on Wednesday to discuss about suspending the strike action.

    It would be recalled that on Decmeber 4, 2018 the Non-Academics went on strike to protest alleged disparity in sharing of 23 billion naira earned allowance released by the Federal Governmemt.

    more details soon…

  • Striking varsity non-teaching staff may call off strike Wednesday

    Striking varsity non-teaching staff may call off strike Wednesday

    The Federal Government has agreed to source for about N8 billion to settle the Earned Allowance of striking non teaching staff of Nigerian Universities within the next five weeks.

    The workers have therefore been asked to suspend their ongoing industrial action by Wednesday, March 14 to allow full activities to return to the campuses.

    This decision formed part of the agreement reached between the striking workers under the Joint Action Committee and the federal government after two days of conciliatory meeting which also agreed that no worker will be victimized on account of taking part in the strike action.

    The agreement was signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), Comrade Samson Ugokwe, President of the National Association Academic Technologists (NAAT), Com. Sani Suleiman and General Secretary of Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), Com. Peters Adeyemi.

    The workers had gone on a total and indefinite strike action on December 4, 2017 as a result of failure of the Federal Government (FG) to implement some of the contents of the Agreement of 20th September, 2017 between the Federal Government and JAC.

    The agreement, copy of which was made available to The Nation indicate that the government and the unions agreed that: “Government is to source for eight (8) billion naira within five (5) weeks to pay JAC of SSANU, NAAT and NASU members and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), who did not get paid in the last disbursement exercise.

    “The Federal Ministry of Education  reported that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has started payment of Salary Short falls and the process is still ongoing. The FME is to synergize with the concerned institutions to ensure compliance with Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) requirements to facilitate payments of JAC members in the Universities that are yet to comply.

    “The National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) is to rework the 15th December 2017 Call Circular taking into consideration the observations of JAC of NAAT, NASU and SSANU with a view to ensuring that it complies with the National Industrial Court (NIC) judgment.  

    “The Federal Ministry of Education has made submissions to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) for onward transmission to the National Council on Establishment (NCE) meeting, slated for 18th March, 2018, in Owerri and is expected to report the outcome in 5 weeks.

     “The Federal Ministry of Education had put forward an application for the visitation panel to the Presidency and is to follow-up and report outcome in 5 weeks. The main thrust of visitation is to re-energize the Institution, unearth corruption and maladministration in these Institutions.

    “It was also agreed that the Federal Ministry of Education would set in motion appropriate machinery for the release of White Paper in respect of previous visitation panel reports already with Government.

    “The Honourable Minister of Labour and JAC leadership agreed that the ongoing strike would be suspended by Wednesday 14th March 2018, after due consultation with their National Executive Councils (NECs). No Worker would be victimized on account of this industrial action.”

  • UNIOSUN will not pay staff on strike —VC

    UNIOSUN will not pay staff on strike —VC

    The Vice Chancellor of the Osun State University, Osogbo, Osun State, (UNIOSUN) Professor Labode Popoola has said that any of the staff of the university who join the ongoing strike by Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), will not be paid for the period of the strike.

    Briefing newsmen over the strike, the Vice Chancellor noted that he had met with workers several times on the issue and others and made the financial position of the university known to them adding that non-academic unions members are not the only body affected.

    Popoola who blamed the inability of the university to pay the money on paucity of funds noted that despite the financial situation of the university, salaries were paid promptly, a situation he said does not obtain in most state universities across the country.

    According to him, the university is being funded through the Internally Generated Revenue, the bulk of which comes from the fees paid by students adding that other sources that are expected to contribute to the funding of the university are not doing so because of lack of fund.

    The Vice Chancellor who said the university authorities have resolved to adopt the ‘no work no pay’ rule on adamant workers said attendance register had already been opened for workers to ensure that workers to go back to work.

    Popoola called on eminent citizens of the state, parents and guardians, students and well wishers to help prevail on the workers to return to work and give the University peace to move on in the interest of the students and service to humanity.

    The Vice chancellor expressed surprise that the workers are not appreciative of receiving their full salaries.

  • Kenyan university lecturers strike again over low pay

    Kenyan university lecturers strike again over low pay

    Kenya’s public university lecturers have resumed a nationwide strike over low pay, nearly three months after ending a similar protest.

    Strikes by public workers in the East African country have become more frequent in recent years, often fueled by grievances over pay.

    The lecturers, who began the strike on Thursda, said in a statement they were also demanding services available to other public servants like car loans and higher quality medical insurance.

    “The union has exhausted all the possible options that were available to prevent the industrial action,” the Universities’ Academic Staff Union said in the statement.

    A strike over the same grievances ended in December after the lecturers said they had reached an agreement with the government for a rise in salaries.

    Some public workers accuse the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta of neglecting them and failing to curb widespread corruption that they say swallows money that could be used to raise their pay.

    NAN reports that in November 2017, lecturers in public universities launched a strike to protest against what they call the government’s continued failure to implement a March deal to boost salaries and housing allowances.

    The strike piled pressure on the government after a strike by nurses in public hospitals over the past few months has paralysed health care services countrywide.

    It also worsened the plight of more than half a million students in 31 public universities, since the lecturers ended a 54-day strike over pay in February 2017 and signed a pact with the government in March 2017.

    The agreement provided for a pay hike of 17.5 per cent and an increase of 3.9 per cent in house allowances. Government officials were not immediately available to comment.

    Kenyan public servants often strike over pay inequalities as the country’s members of parliament are among the world’s most highly paid, taking home around 1.2 million Kenyan shillings (11,571 dollars) per month, including allowances, says Justine Musila of the parliamentary watchdog website Mzalendo.

    By contrast, lecturers’ basic salaries range from 69,000 shillings to 200,000 shillings each month, before allowances.

    A newly-qualified doctor typically earns about 156,000 shillings a month. (Reuters.NAN)

  • Varsity non-teaching staff strike may linger

    •FG invokes no work, no pay policy 

    There are indications the ongoing strike by non-teaching staff of universities may not end soon.

    It was gathered the federal government has concluded plans to invoke the no work, no pay policy despite efforts by the Senate to mediate in the industrial face-off.

    Non-teaching staff of universities have been on strike since December 4, 2017 over failure by government to implement the agreement signed by both parties in September 2017 as well as the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) signed by the unions and government in February 2017.

    The three non-teaching staff union under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee comprises the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

    Our correspondent gathered exclusively that the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, who is the Chief Conciliator in all industrial disputes,  has written to the Federal Ministry of Education to invoke the no work, no pay policy on the striking workers, describing their action as illegal.

    The minister last year warned that government will invoke the policy on striking workers as it will no longer fold its hands and watch workers embark on strike at will to disrupt government programmes.

    The letter from the Minister of Labour may jeopardise efforts of the National Assembly to intervene and resolve the matter amicably.

    Although our correspondent could not gain access to a copy of the letter, a competent source close to the minister confirmed the development.

    The source said:  “Yes, the minister has written to the Ministry of Education as well as the Ministry of Health to invoke the no work, no pay policy on striking workers.

    “I don’t have the details of the letter. But I can confirm to you that the letter has already been dispatched to the relevant ministries.”

    When contacted, National Chairman of the Joint Action Committee of the non-teaching staff and President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Samson Ugokwe, said the unions were yet to be informed about the existence of such a letter.

    “We consider that as a rumour because we have not been informed. We have official means of communication with the ministry and they have not informed us.

    “We have been talking with the ministry of education. But when they inform us about the directives, we will then know how to handle it.

    “For now, we will assume that such a letter does not exist because if it does exist, we will know what to do.”

    General Secretary of the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Deputy President of the NLC, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, described it as an act of intimidation against workers to abandon their legitimate demands.

    Adeyemi, who accused the minister of abuse of power and taking sides with the academic staff against the non-teaching staff, said that it was ridiculous for Ngige, who has the responsibility to ensure industrial harmony, to suddenly declare the strike as illegal after almost 60 days.

    “If the minister feels that this strike is illegal, let him go to court. We are not going to be intimidated about that,” he declared.

     

  • Health workers give 21-day strike notice to FG

    Health workers give 21-day strike notice to FG

    There is a strong possibility of industrial strike in the health sector as members of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have vowed to embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government does not address their three discontentment.
    According to the National Chairman, JOHESU, Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josiah  and  National Secretary, JOHESU, Comrade Ekpebor Florence the decision  was taken  after their Three-Day consultative meeting in Abuja where it was resolved that the federal government  should  urgently revisit the constitution of the membership of the boards of all the Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) as the list of members published in December 2017 seriously violates the Teaching Hospital Act which provides that a representative of health providers must be appointed on all the boards.
    The JOHESU/AHPA noted that the government  did not appoint members of JOHESU/AHPA on the boards despite the fact that a formal list was sent  on request, thereby, breaching one of the terms of its September 30, 2017 Terms of Settlement to redress the perennial lopsided composition of the boards of the FHIs.
    The JOHESU/AHPA lamented the delay tactics and alleged deliberate foot-dragging of the Federal Government in approving the adjustment of CONHESS scale as was done for CONMESS since January 2014 and also replicated with yet another approval for the same CONMESS in September, 2017 for the Medical Doctors.
    They  resolved to reconvene after 21 days of its communication to the Federal Government if there is no positive response  and declared that after 21 days with effect from Thursday last week, it might no longer be in a position to guarantee industrial harmony in the health sector.
    JOHESU/AHPA appealed to its restive members for calm while the leadership appraises and monitor the resolve of the Federal Government to fully comply with the Terms of Settlement with JOHESU on September 30, 2017.
  • Strike cripples activities at poly

    Strike cripples activities at poly

    Lecturers of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwanna Afikpo, Ebonyi State, yesterday protested against the management following a salary cut.

    According to them, their Peculiar Academic Allowance (PAA) was withdrawn by the management.

    The protest paralysed academic activities.

    Over 500 lecturers carried placards: “Rector, pay our Peculiar Academic Allowance”; “Bursar pay us our PAA”; “We say no to PAA withdrawal”; “Give us our PAA”; “We are suffering”, among others.

    They besieged the rector and bursar’s offices to register their grievances, led by Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Comrade Karl Nworu. They vowed to continue to protest until their allowance is restored.

    The Rector, Ogbonnia Ibe-Enwo, who addressed the protesters, blamed the withdrawal of the allowance on a shortfall in salaries.

    But the lecturers said they were not satisfied with the Rector’s response, saying he was insincere.