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Tag: TUC

  • Cut down costs of governance, TUC tells Buhari

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has advised the incoming Buhari-led government to reduce the cost of governance by drastically cutting down on political appointments.

    In a communiqué at the end of its National Executives Council (NEC) meeting, the labour body also asked the incoming government to strengthen anti-corruption agencies to bolster its promise to fight against graft.

    TUC further frowned at attempts to undermine the labour movement by government’s refusal to include it in the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC).

    It said a situation where labour laws are being reviewed by the NLCA to the exclusion of TUC amounts to flagrant violation of the rights of its members.

    The TUC said:  “The NEC-in-session calls on the federal government to halt the continued scarcity of petroleum products as it impacts negatively on all components of the Nigerian economy.

    “The Congress frowns at the way and manner public office holders are paying themselves severance benefits running into billions of naira without addressing the legitimate concerns of the workers on the issue of pension and gratuity.

    “The Congress-in-session calls on the incoming government to restore payment of gratuity along with pension.”

    The labour body added: “The NEC-in-session calls on the federal government to immediately halt and reverse the last minutes transfers of the operatorship of OML 42, OML 40 and OML 30 which are being arbitrarily handed over to Neconde Energy Limited, Eland/Elcrest and Shore Line respectively.

    “It demands for the immediate reinstatement of the operatorship rights of the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), the NNPC subsidiary that has been successfully operating the assets to avert the brewing industrial crisis in NNPC in view of the impact it will have on the ongoing transition process.

    “The NEC-in-session calls on the federal government to as a matter of urgency pay serious attention to ailing industry, particularly the textile sector of the economy that use to be the second largest employer of labour after government.”

  • We won’t support withdrawal of fuel subsidy, say NLC, TUC

    We won’t support withdrawal of fuel subsidy, say NLC, TUC

    THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has said they will not support any move by the Federal Government to inflict further hardship on Nigerian workers through the removal of subsidy on petroleum products.

    Both houses of the National Assembly passed the 2015 Appropriation Bill without allocating any money for subsidy payment, a clear indication that government was preparing for full-scale removal of subsidy on petroleum products.

    NLC Deputy President and Chairman of the joint May Day celebration of the two labour bodies, Peters Adeyemi, told reporters that the organised labour believed that the Federal Government has never subsidised petroleum products.

    He said the bane of the sector was corruption, noting that past government had tried without success to address the issue.

    Adeyemi added that the unions did not have the mandate to support the removal of petroleum products.

    He said: “If you are asking whether we will back the removal of fuel subsidy, the answer is no. It is not as easy as that. You know that it has been a very contentious issue over the years. We have always said there is nothing like subsidy. It is all about corruption.

    “Let me take your mind back and say that this same issue has been something that numerous governments have embarked upon without an end. During President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government, this exercise was embarked upon about 11 times and both the NLC and the TUC engaged the government.

    “So, it is like the more you look, the less you see. For us in labour, we are not going to support that because it is outside our mandate as leaders. We hope that the incoming government, in a desperate bid to look for money, will not look for money in the wrong place.

    “We don’t believe that government is providing subsidy. It is all part of the corruption. So, for now, we don’t have the mandate to support that and we will not support it.”

    He said the incoming government should be ready to diversify the economy and look for other sources of revenue rather than rely on oil alone, adding that there are several other countries surviving without oil money.

    Adeyemi said the workers intend to use the May Day celebration to let the government know that the minimum wage was due for renegotiation, adding that N18,000 could no longer take the worker home.

    He said: “Even before the end of this administration, we are already talking and making them realise that the minimum wage is no longer anything to write home about.

    “For workers under the NLC and the TUC, May Day is a happy and symbolic day when we join our comrades all over the world to celebrate the dignity of labour. On May Day, we gather en mass to celebrate working class solidarity and to show working class unity.”

  • Osun labour crisis: TUC condemns strike

    The crisis rocking the Osun State chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) took another dimension, as the national secretariat of the union disowned the factional Chairman, Mr. Francis Adetunji, who has been parading himself as the recognised chairman of the union.

    The union also condemned the strike embarked upon by workers in the state, arguing that the directive to commence the strike did not emanate from the recognised leaders of the union in the state and did not have the backing of the national secretariat of the union.

    Its National Secretary General, Musa Lawal, who was on a solidarity visit to the state, said the tenure of Adetunji ended a year ago and had thus seized to be the chairman of TUC in the state.

    He queried the rationale for the strike embarked upon by workers in the employ of the state government, noting that the national secretariat of the union was not aware of the strike.

    Addressing reporters at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre after a meeting between the leadership of the TUC and NUJ, Lawal expressed regrets on the action of some workers in the state who perpetrated violence during a protest embarked upon by a faction of the work force.

    Lawal, who berated the attitude of some workers in the state, lamented that laws should not be taken into the hands of any individual and that protest by workers should be peaceful.

    He, however, expressed confidence in the leadership of Akinyemi Olatunji, whom he described as the duly elected chairman of TUC in the state, saying, “There is only one TUC chairman in Osun State and he is Akinyemi Olatunji.”

  • Falana, TUC to Buhari: tackle corruption

    Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has urged President  Muhammadu Buhari to carry out a reform of the judiciary to tackle corruption effectively.

    He said the judicial system has been taking over by corrupt people, adding that the incoming government owed the country a duty to re-position it for improved performance.

    He said: “There is the need for Buhari’s government to address the judicial system, which in recent times has been overtaking by corrupt-minded Nigerians. The act of messing up judiciary is permitted only in Nigeria. That is why I said the new government has a job to do, if it wants to reduce corruption to its abysmal level.”

    Falana told The Nation that cases involving former governors were not heard in 2007 because they were covered by immunity.

    Also, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Rivers State Chapter, advised Gen. Buhari to put in place measures that would prevent a waste of government’s resources.

    In a statement by its Chairman, Comrade Hyginus Chika, the body urged Buhari to fight corruption to a standstill.

    “We urged President Buhari to be dogged in the fight against corruption and the elimination of waste in governance through strengthening the institutions that fight corruption,” it added.

    He said offences relating to unexplainable wealth should be punishable to deter others from commuting them.

    “The government must pass into law, offence of unexplained wealth in Nigeria, and ensure that offenders are properly dealt with. People who commit the offence should be sentenced to at least 20 years imprisonment, aside forfeiting the wealth,” the statement added.

     

  • TUC blames weak law for contract staffing

    General Secretary, Trade Union Congress (TUC),  Comrade Mohammed Lawal, has blamed the continued t existence of contract staff in the country on weak legal system.

    Lawal, who represented the President of TUC, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, at the launch of a book titled: ‘Determination of Contract of Employment’ written by Femi Aborsade, said Nigeria’s legal system needed an urgent review to  align with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    He said jobs were no longer secured as employers now opt for short-term flexible employment as part of the strategies to save costs and boost profit.

    Aborisade, a lawyer,  said he was motivated to publish the book to explore ways through which the law could be used to address social problem, such as contract employment and the unprecedented grill of unemployment.

    He expressed concern over increasing disregard for the rule of law by several private sector employers, noting that violation and open disregard for the law is capable of creating atmosphere of industrial unrest.

    He said: “In doing this, I felt it is necessary to establish the international standard establish by the ILO and which is being practised in countries, such as South African, Zimbabwe. We have to compare and contrast.

    “We discovered that the international standard being adopted by ILO is lacking in the Nigerian judicial system. In some other African countries, common principles have been jettisoned in favour of the international standard that states that no employer has no right to sack any employee without following the normal procedures.

    “The two principles guiding the contract employment which is stated in the ILO recommendation are applicable in other countries, but they are not applicable in the Nigerian legal system.’’

    A former Attorney-General of Edo State, who is also the reviewer of the book, Dr Osagie Obayuwana, said progressive laws were being violated with impunity by employers, particularly in the private sector, adding that workers are denied the right to organise.

    According to him, the majority of Nigerians have never been beneficiaries of social justice and so less regard is being paid to this very important issue.

    He said: “More so, there is the general believe that the present crop of labour leaders have failed in their responsibility to promote the right of workers across the country. As the Nigerian situation continues to worsen by the day, the little gains of the labour movement to improve the living conditions of the workers have been eroded.”

  • TUC urges workers to defend democracy

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has tasked   workers to defend the nation’s democracy by collectively making necessary sacrifice to ensure that the forthcoming general elections hold as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) without chaos.

    The Congress also called on Nigerians to resist the temptation of exchanging their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) for money as some politicians are said to be buying PVCs as a way of disenfranchising  them.

    TUC’s President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama spoke during an interactive session with reporters in his office while sensitising workers on the need to participate in the coming rescheduled general elections  by INEC.

    He said: “We call on Nigerian workers to do everything possible to defend the nation’s democracy by collectively making necessary sacrifice to support  the government  to ensure the coming general  elections hold as scheduled by INEC without chaos.

    “We use this opportunity to call on Nigerians to resist the temptation of exchanging their PVCs for money as some politicians are said to be buying PVCs as a way of denying them their right to vote,” the TUC chief said.

    In a related development, TUC has appealed to the Federal Government and the military authority to temper justice with mercy on the soldiers that were condemned to death by a military court marshal.

    In a statement, its President, Comrade Kaigama and Secretary General, Comrade Musa Lawal, said:  “Justice, they say, serves a better societal purpose when tempered with  mercy. And indeed, the quality of mercy is not strained. It is twice blessed. It blesses he that gives and he that takes.”

    The Congress also commended the Nigerian Army for its recent victory in reclaiming the country’s soil from the Islamic terrorists group, Boko Haram.

    The Congress, however, charged the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Kenneth Minimah, to  reward soldiers as promised during his recent visit to Baga town in Kukawa Local Government Area of Bornu State.

  • TUC supports strike by ASCSN

    The Osun State Council of Trade Union Congress (TUC), has thrown its weight behind the proposed strike by its affiliate, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Osun Branch and the ongoing strike action by the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Osogbo.

    Its Chairman, Comrade Akinyemi Olatunji, called on  the public, particularly the media to disregard a contrary statement made by former Chairman of the Council, Oladele Francis Adetunji,  he purportedly disassociating the Council from the said strike.

    He said in accordance with the TUC’s Constitution Adetunji ceased to be the Chairman of TUC Osun State Council consequent upon the expiration of his tenure  and the subsequent election and inauguration of the present Executive Committee on March 6, last year, even though he has refused to come to terms with the transition that is sure to come.

    Adetunji, according to Comrade Olatunji, was not representing anybody but himself and his paymasters in the state, who are using him to undermine the legitimate interests of the working class. “Naturally his anti-union posture has rightfully caused him to be ostracised by all TUC members in the state and also earned him an indefinite suspension from the Congress by a resolution of the National Executive Council (NEC).

    “While we do not begrudge Adetunji on his solitary walk, we remind him and his ill-advised sponsors that he, who has no one following him, cannot validly call himself a leader. He is merely a man taking a stroll. Perhaps he will learn the lessons of the prodigal son and retrace his steps someday,” Olatunji said.

  • TUC urges COAS to redeem pledge

    • Union pleads for condemned soldiers

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has commended and urged the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Kenneth Minimah, to go all out to reward soldiers as promised during his visit to Baga town in Kukawa Local Government Area, Bornu State.

    TUC in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, also urged the leadership of other security operatives who are participating in the fight to follow suit.

    “We read in the dailies that COAS had boosted the morale of the troops at the scene of the fight when he commended their courage and patriotism in the fight to save our dear country. He told them that every soldier who participated in the Baga operation, whether dead or alive has been promoted to the next rank. While we commend the COAS for the confidence-building trip, we wish to passionately appeal to him to ensure that the promise is fulfilled straight away as it will go a long way in motivating and encouraging the soldiers,” Kaigama said.

    The Congress appealed to the Federal Government and the military authority to temper justice with mercy on the soldiers who were condemned some months ago.

    “Justice, they say serves a better societal purpose when tempered with mercy. And indeed the quality of mercy is not strained. It is twice blessed. It blesses he that gives and he that takes.

    “We can say that when functions are carried out systematically and meticulously, and to the best of ability, the result is success and joy for all,” he said.

  • TUC to NLC: ensure hitch- free election

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other  affiliates have urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to ensure a hitch-free election rescheduled for March 12 .

    TUC President, Bobboi Kaigama said: “We are happy that they have been able to resolve their differences and on March 12, they will be able to conduct the election; it is a very good development. We strongly believe that whatever difficulties they faced, would serve as an eye-opener to correct and see that it does not repeat itself.”

    He assured that TUC is in solidarity with the NLC and would continue to support it to overcome its difficulties.

    Also, President, Nigeria Union of Postal Telecommunication Employees, Sunday Alhassan, challenged the NLC to act as a role model for workers.

    “We have looked at the entire politics and we know that things are not right; so we have to show very good example. Whatever the shortcoming that made us not to conclude the 11th National Delegates’  Conference with the new date that we have set for ourselves, we should all play by the rules. In playing by the rules and regulations of the Labour constitution, we will be able to elect good leadership that would protect the masses and the workers,” he said.

    Similarly, the President, Radio Television, Theatre and Arts workers’ Union of Nigeria,Yemi Bamgbose, advised the Credentials Committee to ensure that it overcomes whatever pitfalls that might occur during the forthcoming election.

    “The Credentials Committee must work in conformity with the rules and norms of holding an election of this magnitude,” he added.

  • Ogun HoS lauds TUC on performance

    The Ogun State Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, has lauded the performance of the state chapter of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) by promoting and protecting the interest of its members nation-wide.

    She made this statement while declaring open the 5th Triennial delegates’ conference of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Ogun State Chapter held recently at the Academic Staff Union of Secondary School (ASSUS) Hall, Leme in Abeokuta.

    The Head of Service who was represented by the Consultant to the Governor on Labour, Comrade Julius Ogundipe, said the TUC has been able to meet the demand of workers for better insight into the management of the different unions, adding that it is becoming increasingly clear in the public and private sectors that the economic growth and advancement of the country required the inputs of not just properly trained workers and professionals, but also union leaders who represent the true and collective aspirations of their members.

    Mrs. Adekunle urged the TUC members not to sit on the fence even as the general election is at hand,  noting that the conference must demonstrate the truth democratic structure and maturity of the different unions during their election.

    ‘’The conduct of this delegates conference must demonstrate the democratic structure of our different unions and maturity of our members. I need not remind you that this congress must be held devoid of violence, we must eschew bitterness, and ensure that the process does not produce a victor nor a vanquished. It is a process to move the congress forward and put it at a vantage position to represent the collective aspiration of your principals and make your voice heard’’ Hos said.