The Nation Newspaper

Tag: workers

  • ‘We prioritise workers’ welfare’

    Workers in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) have been assured that their welfare will continue to receive the highest attention under the present administration as all necessary measures have been put in place to ensure the sustainability of an enduring welfare package for them.

    FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello gave the assurance  in  Abuja during the first Labour Day celebration of this Administration.

    The minister eulogised the workers for their remarkable contributions to nation building, adding that Labour is the goose that lays the golden egg.

    He pointed out that the Federal Capital Territory Administration has evolved various policies intended to ensure adequate welfare and conducive working environment for the work force.

    According to a statement issued by the Special Assistant ( Media ), Abubakar Sani, the minister said: “I make bold to say that, because of the high premium we place on workers’ welfare, this administration ensures regular payment of salaries and allowances to our workers; in the same vein we have ensured that housing allowances are paid as at when due, while deserving staff have received their promotions. Aside these, my administration places a high premium on staff training and retraining. This is with a view to giving incentives to our workers and ensuring optimal service delivery”.

    Bello said May Day is celebrated globally to mark the sacrifices of workers towards building a better world, adding that it highlights the contributions which workers have consistently made to ensure a world where values of social justice and employment rights are fully protected.

    He noted that the the theme for this year’s celebration which is “The Working Class and the Quest for Socio-Economic Revival.” is, indeed, very appropriate and timely, considering the state of our national affairs.

    Bello, however, lamented that this year’s May Day is being celebrated at a time of serious downturn in the nation’s economy with international oil prices sliding downwards and adversely affecting our national revenue. A situation which according to him was further worsened by corruption and mismanagement of the past.

    ”Being mindful of this situation, President Muhammadu Buhari articulated a Change Agenda that focuses on anti-corruption, fiscal discipline and diversification of the economy. In line with this, the Federal Government has evolved several policy frameworks designed to breathe a new lease of life into the economy,” he said.

    Malam Bello said the FCT administration would continue partner with Labour in the efforts towards restoring the old glory of our great nation, stressing that his administration will not allow the issue of paucity of funds to “make us abdicate our responsibility to Labour as the FCTA will continue to be a front runner on the issues of workers’ welfare”.

    Bello then urged Labour to continue to support government in these difficult times.

     

  • Governors’ extravagant living causing workers’ salary arrears, says Kalu

    Governors’ extravagant living causing workers’ salary arrears, says Kalu

    Former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu, yesterday attributed   the inability of serving state  governors to pay workers’ salaries promptly  to what he called their propensity to  squander public  funds on personal luxury.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after leading a delegation of investors in the power sector to a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said  some of governors claim as much as  N35 million as travelling allowance on one trip.

    Unless state governors stop withdrawal of funds as security vote, they will continue to face difficulties to get enough money to fund critical projects in the state, Kalu said

    But he said some governors are doing well in developing their states.

    On the recent demand for more funds by the governors to meet up with their statutory obligations, Kalu said the demand was unnecessary as states already have sufficient funds to function optimally.

    He said: “I think most of these governors are doing very well and some of them also are living in the euphoria of the office. You can see most of them who are very active. I don’t need to count them for you.

    “These governors have enough funds to work for their people because if you check, the money drawn as security vote is excessive. They should stop that.

    “Unless they stop drawing security vote, they will not have enough funds to work with and most of them are living in absolute luxury. So it is impossible to continue living in this manner.

    “Most of the governors are even living in Abuja now. They don’t live in their states. Honestly, if you look at the books very well, for a trip they make, they will take a travelling allowance of N35 million.

    “What are you going to do with that. So, how are we going to progress. Not all the governors. I have gone through Rivers, I see that Rivers is hitting the ground. I have gone through Adamawa, and I see Adamawa is hitting the ground.

    “I have gone through a few more states, they are hitting the ground. They are working. I don’t speak with sentiments. I don’t speak for anybody. You can see those who are working and those who are not working. Let them sit down and do the job they are elected for.’’

  • Improve workers’ welfare, govt urged

    Improve workers’ welfare, govt urged

    Union leaders have urged the Federal Government to give priority to workers welfare.

    The unionists, who spoke with The Nation, noted that workers’ welfare was poor across the country.

    The President, National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Alhaji Ibrahim Khaleel, urged the three tiers of government to take necessary measures to improve workers’ welfare.

    According to him, some state governments are owing workers 10 months’ salaries. “I urge government to step in and address our immediate problem, which is the inability of government to pay workers’ salaries as and  when due,” he said, noting that government has failed in the payment of workers’ salaries, particularly the local governments.

    Describing it as a serious challenge, Khaleel said the president needed to make good the promise he made when he was sworn in last year. “I recall he promised to address issues in the local governments to make them more functional,” he said.

    He urged workers to seek effective ways of ensuring service delivery across the county to create more wealth.

    The Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), FCT chapter, Mr.  Amaechi Lawrence, decried the high cost of living in the territory and urged the FCT Minister to look into it and provide more affordable houses for civil and public servants.

    He also urged the government to build more roads to reduce the traffic on the Nyanya-Mararaba Road.

    The Chairman, Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association (NATA), Mr. John Gabriel, said government should look into the issue of fuel scarcity and put an end to it.

    “We want Nigeria to be a better place; there is also no fuel intermittently; so the prices of things are jacked up, even the cost of maintaining one’s car becomes higher.

    “For this reason, many people park their cars at home, leaving our members with no job and no money to take home for our families,’’ Gabriel said.

    The Chairman, National Union of Hotels and Personal Service Workers, Mr Jankat Pius, urged the Federal Government to immediately start implementing the 2016 budget, noting that the late-passage of the budget is already affecting Nigerians negatively.

    “There is no money in circulation and everything is hard in the country; I know good things don’t come easy but I believe government can do something to make the life of the people better,’’ Pius said.

  • A governor’s uncommon love for workers

    A governor’s uncommon love for workers

    Since he became Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade has scored many firsts. He is the first to pay workers’ salaries every month. Between 13th and 20th of every month, salaries are paid. And to set a new record, he paid this month’s salaries on the first day of the month. Not because he was out to play any stunt but as a demonstration of his love

    The governor paid April salaries less than two weeks before paying May’s. April salaries were paid on the 20th.

    Ayade’s feats will make more sense when juxtaposed with the fact that states with ten times Cross River’s revenue are owing arrears of salaries.

    To enhance purchasing power and reduce poverty, he signed into law a bill that exempts minimum wage earners from paying taxes and he has just introduced a car ownership scheme for civil servants. Also, he has removed a 23-year old embargo placed on employment into civil service.

    Ayade, in his inaugural speech, vowed that no workers in the state will go hungry which have resulted in his faithfully ensuring the regular and prompt payments of salaries of the state work force every month.

    Others initiatives by Ayade to enlarge the labour space in the state include the establishment of the Calabar garment factory where over 2500 cross Riverians will be given employment and the Green Police where another 1000 jobs have been created.

    The ongoing construction of the Calabar Pharmaceutical industry and the Thai Africa Rice city where over 3000 people will be engaged and given a means by the Ayade’s government to provide food for their families are also initiatives which show the governor’s love for his people. The Organized Labour in Cross River State recently declared him the Most-Labour Friendly Governor in Nigeria.

    The Chairman, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Comrade John Ushie, said the workers in the state are very happy with the governor for his pro –workers policy and pledged total support of all the workers in the state to his administration. The NLC state chairman stated this when he led executive members of the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Public Service Negotiating Council in the state on a courtesy call on the governor at the State Executive Council Chambers in Calabar.

    According to Ushie, “The Organised Labour has resolved to single you out in the whole Nigeria and West Africa as the Digital and Best-Labour Friendly Governor.”

    He explained that Ayade was chosen for the award for a number of reasons, including prompt payment of workers salary and the courage to embark on economy changing projects like the 260km superhighway, the Bakassi Deep Seaport, the Calabar Garment and Textile Factory and the establishment of Green Police.

    His words: “Since your assumption of office, every 13th to 18th day of each month, workers smile home with their salaries. We have gone through the records and across all other states since our colleagues exist in all, we have also found that you have surpassed your colleagues in Nigeria and have gone far to surpass the Federal Government especially in the area of payment of salaries. “

    The NLC chairman who reiterated the resolve of the Organized Labour in Cross River to work in harmony with the governor, prayed God to grant him the needed wisdom to steer the ship of the state.

    “We will not deceive you as we will speak out on anything we feel strongly about. As you know, Labour leaders cannot be coerced, and nobody will instigate us against your government. We also believe that nobody will instigate you against us.”

    Ayade applauded the Organised Labour in the state for the honour and promised to do more for workers in the state despite the downturn in the nation’s economy.

    “I thank you for all your kind words. For labour to find me worthy of an award calls for celebration because you are a people who cannot be bribed. You are not a people who can be sold, you very courageous people,” the governor said.

    Touched by the plights of retirees who have to wait for their benefits for long after service to their fatherland, Ayade said “society will be so unfair if this continues,” stressing that “the primary thing for a man who fears God is to ensure that those who toil do not do so in vain.”

    The governor assured that issues of pensions, promotions and gratuity will be looked into.

    He also lauded the Organised Labour in the state for their concern towards good governance in the state.

    Certainly, there is more in the goody bags for workers in the state and for the workers, this seems to be the beginning. And Ayade deserves praises and not condemnation.

    • Daniel sent in this pice from Calabar.

  • Labour warns against workers’ sack over ‘bloated’ wage bill

    Labour has warned against the sacking of workers under the guise of a bloated wage bill.

    Refering to Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun’s statement that about N165 billion has been spent on payment of civil servants’ salaries, Labour said it was shocked by the excuses being made to justify the failure of some states to pay workers and execute certain projects.

    Speaking with The Nation, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, said they were all a ploy to sack workers.

    He said: “We recall that it was widely reported that the immediate past administration discovered hundreds of thousands of ghost workers within the civil service.

    “The present administration has also told us that they have discovered some and adopted a series of measures to curb such. We are upset that the available information technology platforms and the Biometrics Verification Number (BVN) introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have not helped to iron out these things.”

    The TUC president said labour was happy that the minister faulted the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) introduced by the last administration, adding that the system was sabotaged by elements benefitting from salary fraud.

    “We also welcome her claim that she has created a unit assigned with the sole responsibility of checking the salaries and catching those behind the over-bloated salary,” he said.

    He, however, said Labour would fight to finish any attempt to sack civil servants for errors that are not theirs, adding that it is the height of injustice to sack a worker who earns a stipend just to be able to sustain the payment of millions of naira to politicians.

    “We cannot be made to bear the brunt of what we do not know about just to massage the ego and pockets of a privileged few. Nobody or group should prompt a disruption of the prevailing peaceful industrial atmosphere in the country,” Kaigama said.

    In a related event, TUC has decried the recruitment of Permanent Secretaries from outside the civil service.

    Kaigama, who stated this in Abuja, said: “We wish to state that the recent appointment of Permanent Secretaries from outside the civil service contravened the relevant provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “This is capable of doing collateral damage to the system. The ill-advised policy, if not stopped now, is capable of killing the morale of senior civil servants who have served their fatherland meritoriously for decades. This is because they can no longer aspire to rise to the peak of their career.”

    Kaigama urged the Federal Government to discontinue the practice while those already recruited particularly those above 60 years, should be disengaged.

    He said it was common knowledge that the civil service is the engine room that oils the wheels of government to ensure efficient and effective service delivery to the people.

    Kaigama cited Public Service Rule 020810, which stipulates that retirement age in the civil service shall be 60 years of age or 35 years of pensionable service whichever comes earlier.

    He also called on the Federal Government to quickly settle all outstanding arrears owed civil and public servants.

    According to him, the outstanding include salary arrears, promotion arrears dating back to 2007, first 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation, duty tour allowance, mandatory training allowance for 2010, burial expenses and repatriation allowance, among others.

    “We are worried that the sum provided for the settlement of these arrears under the Service Wide Vote in the 2016 Budget is inadequate and has even been slashed by N28.5 billion by the National Assembly.

    “We, therefore, demand that the federal lawmakers retrace their steps on this issue and approve what was voted for the outstanding benefits of civil servants in the interest of industrial peace and harmony in the country.

    He also called on the Federal Government to prepare a supplementary budget to capture the balance of indebtedness to public servants so that the matter can rested.

  • NGO celebrates with workers

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Activista Lagos has commemorated this year’s May Day with workers in conjunction with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other trade unions. The event took place at the Onikan Stadium Lagos.

    The group used the May Day celebration to call on government to use tax payers’ money for the provision of roads, schools, electricity, health facilities and water. It said provision of such necessary facilities for the people is the only way the people could enjoy the benefits of democracy.

    Activista, which is known for its slogan ‘Up with Justice, Down with Hunger’ also urged the government to investigate,  prosecute indicted Nigerians who are involved in the Panama Papers scandal, even as it warned that the issue of Panama Papers must not be treated as another Halliburton.

    The group is also called on government to beam searchlight on those involved as they cheat the government by evading tax payment.

    Activista’s National Coordinator Nigeira, Oyinkansola Mabe-ko called on the Federal Government to ensure the security and welfare of the people, adding that the government must ensure that multi-nationals and big companies pay their taxes failure of which amounts to financial fraud.

    The celebrations were attended by senior government officials and labour unions officials led by the Chairman of the Lagos chapter of the NLC, Idowu Adelakun.

    Activista is Actionaid International’s global youth network comprising more than 250 ActionAid partners and thousands of volunteers in more than 25 countries.

  • ‘Workers’ low-income houses coming’

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration is about going into partnership with the Federal Mortgage Bank to develop low-income houses for low-income workers in the Federal Capital Territory, the minister Malam Muhammad Bello has said.

    He gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of the Federal Mortgage Bank led by its Acting Managing Director, Mr. Richard Esien who paid him a working visit.

    Bello, however, made a case for the consideration of FCT Administration workers first, observing that the administration has the highest number of employees in the FCT.

    According to the statement issued by Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister said that there are so many big houses built in Abuja that are unoccupied because of the exorbitant rent charged by landlords.

    He said, “What we need today in Abuja are low income houses which low income earners can afford and that is what my administration would further encourage to take care of the less privileged people in the society”.

    The Minister emphasized that his Administration is prepared to enhance the relationship between the FCT Administration and the Federal Mortgage Bank for the mutual benefit of the two organizations; therefore the staff of the FCT Administration will have to be considered first.

    “We have too many highbrow houses in Abuja which have remained vacant despite the housing deficit the workers are experiencing in the city,” he stressed.

    While decrying a situation where estates were built in the past without provision of recreational facilities, children play ground as well as conversion of green areas to build houses; he directed that henceforth, all new estates must make provision for such essential facilities.

    The minister also directed that a green area be made available for the Federal Mortgage Bank to develop into a befitting Public Park for usage at weekends by the residents free of charge; adding that such gesture should be the Bank’s corporate social responsibility to the immediate society it is operating in.

    Speaking earlier, the Acting Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank, Mr. Richard Esien sought for plots of land to deliver houses to Nigerians in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate of 5,000 houses yearly.

    He noted that it is only Bwari Area Council out of the six Area Councils in the FCT that has complied with the FMBN Act of contributing two and half percent of all workers earning and therefore appealed to the Minister to prevail on the remaining five Area Councils to make their contributions according to the law.

  • Civil society group lauds Ayade for improving workers welfare

    Civil society group lauds Ayade for improving workers welfare

    A Civil Society Group, Coalition of Civil Society and Media Executives for Policy Stability (COCMEP) at the weekend commended Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade for setting the pace in workers’ welfare improvement.

    A statement by Comrade Innocent Ebirim Okadigbo President, COCMEP described the payment of Cross River State workers’ May, 2016 salary on the first day  of the month as a “pleasant and motivating surprise.”

    COCMEP urged the workers’- friendly governor to sustain the culture of timely and prompt payment of workers’ salary as this will multiply commitment, dedication, performance, discipline and productivity.

    Okadigbo described the award bestowed by NLC on Governor Ayade as “the most labour friendly Governor in the country” to be most befitting and truthful because no governor has surpassed Ayade in prompt and timely payment of workers salary. He described Ayade as a motivator, trail blazer, role model, galvanizer and successful manager in human resource development.

    He urged other governors and employers of labour to emulate the Ayade’s model in workers welfare and the Cross River State workers to reciprocate the kind gesture by observing public service and work ethics in their respective places of work.

  • Kwara approves payment of 24, 042 verified workers, pensioners

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the payment of March and April salaries and pensions of 24,042 workers and pensioners, who have been cleared in the staff verification.

    A statement by the alternate Chairman of the Committee on Personnel Database Development, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, said the approval followed the final clearance of the affected workers and pensioners by the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBBS).

    Gold, who is also the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), said the March and April salary and entitlements of the workers and pensioners would be paid this week.

    He said 1,427 workers and pensioners found to have submitted invalid Bank Verification Number (BVN) will have their entitlements withheld, pending further investigation.

    Gold said the governor ordered that the 144 workers and pensioners, who had issues with their BVN, but whose defences were genuine, should be paid.

    He noted that Ahmed directed that 390 workers and pensioners found to be operating multiple accounts should be re-screened by the committee.

    The SSG stressed that any worker or pensioner found to be fraudulently collecting salary or pension would not only be made to refund the money, but would also be penalised.

  • Workers hail N56,000 minimum wage proposal

    Workers hail N56,000 minimum wage proposal

    Civil servants in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have praised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for pushing for N56,000 as minimum wage. Some of the workers, who spoke in an interview with The Nation during the May Day celebrations, said the review of the N18,000 minimum wage was over due.

    According to them, the proposed minimum wage will go a long way in cushioning workers’ hardship. They lamented the high cost of goods, stressing that the proposed minimum wage would encourage them to put in their best.

    The workers said labour had taken a bold step aimed at giving them some relief. They appealed to the government to consider the workers’plight as regards the prevailing economic reality.

    Mr. Mojeed Mohammed, a civil servant in FCT, described the proposal as good.

    He, however, expressed fear over the government’s ability to meet the demand because of the dwindling oil revenue.

    A union executive, Comrade Bala Abubakar, lauded NLC and TUC for the proposal. He said Labour needed to back it up in the interest of the workers.

    A civil servant in Alausa, Ikeja, Mr. Olayinka Ogunfesi, said if the proposed N56,000 wage is approved, it would go a long way in alleviating workers’ suffering.

    He enjoined the union executives to ensure that it is implemented. To Mrs. Bimpe Olatunji, a teacher, the proposal is in order. She said this is something that will make the workers put in their best.“Depending on whether the government accepts and implements it, it is alright,” she said.