The Nation Newspaper

Tag: workers

  • 500 ‘PHCN’ casual workers seek justice

    Over 500 casual workers of the Ibadan zonal headquarters of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have  appealed to the Federal Government to pay them salary arrears owed them. They also expressed their disappointment over alleged comments by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali concerning their status.

    Ambassador Igali had told the Senate Committee on Power that those claiming to be casual workers of the defunct PHCN “are mere personal staff with no evidence to back up their appointments”.

    He reportedly told the committee that there was no way they would be paid by government because their appointments were not regularised.

    At a press conference held in Oyo town, Oyo State, the casual workers described Igali’s comment as “far from the truth”.

    They described Igali’s position on their plight as “wicked and unreasonable”.

    The more than 500 casual workers are from 22 districts of the zone; comprising Oyo, Ogun, Osun and part of Jebba in Kwara State.

    The press conference was addressed by their president, Comrade Rasheed Olawunmi.

    He urged the Senate Committee to disregard Igali’s position “because it was a lie”.

    To him, contrary to Igali’s position, a meeting was held on October 31, 2013 between officials of the Federal Government and representatives of labour unions, including National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) to resolve outstanding labour issues ahead of handover of assets of the PHCN to private owners.

    “At the meeting attended by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, it was unanimously agreed, among others, that a total of 2,500 were casual workers within the PHCN system nation-wide. This figure was identified by the Presidential Committee set up by the last administration. Not only that, the meeting also resolved that the issue of unclear casuals should be treated on compassionate basis,” he said.

    Olawunmi further said that when the list of verified casual workers was eventually released to zonal headquarters for payment and regularisation, Ibadan zone alone had a total of 1,000 casual workers.

    “But rather than comply with government’s directive, the then Chief Executive Officer of Ibadan zonal headquarters deliberately hand-picked only 500 names out of the 1,000 sent to him by the government for payment and regularisation of appointments. 500 casual workers are yet to receive their entitlements. All complaints and protests in this regard yielded no result.

    “We were employed like every other employee in the company and placed on contract and casual basis. We were issued with appointment letters backed up with the promise of being regularised some day. We were interviewed in 2009, biometrically captured in 2011 and verified in 2012. Some of us were issued letters of regularisation of employment in April, 2012. The then management admitted to have omitted several names which it attributed to the delay in the release of the remaining letters. The error, as admitted by the then management, had not been rectified till today.

    “What is more worrisome and disturbing is the denial of the Permanent Secretary before the Senate Committee that there were no identified casual workers entitled to any payments or benefits. The Permanent Secretary was a signatory to the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting two years ago.

    “We, the concerned casual workers, were at the two chambers of the National Assembly before their expiration sometime last year to ventilate our displeasure over the unjust treatment meted out to us,” he said.

    He revealed that since they began the agitation, no fewer than 15 of their members had died of various ailments due to inability to afford costs of treatments.

    Olawunmi, therefore, appealed to the Senate Committee to ensure that the casual workers receive their entitlements.

     

     

  • Assembly workers urged to shun NLC strike

    Cross River State House of Assembly’s Speaker John Gaul Lebo has urged the Assembly’s workers to shun the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strike and resume work today.

    Lebo said: “The House of Assembly, as an institution, is ahead of the issues raised by Labour. The most critical points by the union with respect to the strike are not arguable issues. They relate to the House of Assembly’s workers’ salaries, which have been paid regularly, at least by the 25th of each month; impress and statutory allowances have been regularly paid.

    “Given the context of the immediate picture analysis, the strike is not the best evacuation corridor to resolve any issue now or in the future. As legislative architects, the House of Assembly workers occupy a special place in the state’s governance machinery.”

  • $16b EPZ: Tompolo’s men sack site workers in Delta

    Gunmen, said to be loyal to former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), at the weekend chased away workers on the Madangho site of the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) project, Ogidigben, Delta State.

    The site workers were said to have been hired by an Itsekiri contractor and owner of JAD Catering.

    It was learnt that JAD Catering, a company belonging to a former chairman of Warri Southwest Local Government Area, was clearing the Madangho stretch of the project site when the gunmen chased them away.

    Tompolo reportedly got the clearing of the EPZ site at the Kpokpo axis; Chief Thomas Ereyitomi secured the other stretch of the clearing contract, leaving the Madangho site to JAD Catering.

    Attempts to get the comments of Tompolo’s lieutenant, Paul Bebenimibo, on the incident, were unsuccessful.

    His terse response to our correspondent’s questions was: “You are mischievous.”

    A source, who attributed the incident to Tompolo’s men, said the incident occurred at 3pm on Saturday.

    He said the workers were clearing the site when they were allegedly chased away at gun point by Tompolo’s men, who demanded compensation.

    It was learnt that although there were military men on the site, they watched the militants shoot severally into the air to scare the JAD workers.

    “The workers, who were clearing the site, were chased away by gun-wielding militants of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo over compensation.

    “They came in a large number while the military men on the project site looked away as the militants shot sporadically into the air to scare the JAD workers on site,” the source said.

    The Chairman of Ugborodo Interface Committee, Austin Oborogbeyi, could not be reached for comments last night.

  • Ambode pays ex- Eko Today workers

    Ambode pays ex- Eko Today workers

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the weekend presented cheques valued at N37,171,228.22 to former workers of the defunct Lagos Horizon /Eko Today.

    Speaking at the main chambers of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs in Alausa, Ikeja, Ambode thanked the ex-workers for their patience, cooperation, and doggedness.

    The governor, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Pension Office, Mrs. Olabowale Ademola, urged them to use the money for self maintenance and not for capital project which may not be completed on time.

    Fifty four workers got their cheques in three categories. Eighteen were paid pension, gratuity and severance pay packages, 29 got only severance package and seven got severance and gratuity packages.

    A beneficiary, Mrs. Toyin Johnson, expressed her joy that most of the beneficiaries are alive to receive their entitlements.

    Former Editor Akin Owolabi described Ambode as a ‘redeemer’, who rescued the workers from death.

    He said the organisation closed down in 2003 without paying benefits to the staff, which led to series of protest.

    “When he assumed office,  Governor Ambode heard the predicaments and ordered the payment of the benefits.”

     

  • Imo denies issuing dud cheques to workers

    The government of Imo State has described as unfounded, allegations that the cheques paid to the workers were dud. It said none of the cheques issued for salary payment bounced as alleged in some sections of the media.

    A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, said: “No cheque issued to any worker bounced or was rejected by any bank. The government decided to adopt the cheque system to check the ghost worker syndrome, salary padding, and other prevalent anomalies.

    “The government had paid civil servants, teachers, Youth Must Work staffs and workers of the parastatals, except those whose issues have not been resolved, up till September, and no one complained of being given a dud cheque.

    “The only problem we had was when hoodlums, loyal to the opposition, stormed the Imo International Trade Centre, disturbed the distribution process and went away with some of the booklets.

    “So we notified the banks concerned to cancel cheques with the serial numbers of the stolen booklets and the banks acted accordingly. About ten of the hoodlums have been arrested and will be charged to court in a matter of days.

    “For the remaining workers, their salary arrears are ready but they have not been paid because the government and labour leaders are yet to reach a consensus on their fate because the parastatals had been concessioned.

    “The government has resolved to continue with the cheque system until the desired result is achieved”.

  • Health workers sensitised on positive attitude to work

    Health workers have been admonished on the need to have a positive attitude to work and care of patients their watch-word to strengthen health care delivery system.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Hospitals Management Board, Mrs. Modupe Olurin, a pharmacist,  stated this at a two-day capacity building workshop for principal officers in the secondary health care sector in Ijebu – Ode.

    Olurin said the various cadres in the health care system must have a positive attitude to their work and work harmoniously so that patients at the centre obtain maximum benefit.

    Justifying the need for the workshop, Olurin said: “It is very important for the managers of the various health facilities to partake in a meeting like this and share experiences, exchange ideas with the aim of fine tuning the basic administrative processes with a view to achieving an efficient health care delivery system at the secondary level”.

    One of the resource persons from Pharmaccess/Safe Health, Dr. Modupe Oludipe, who spoke on Quality Assurance and Improvement in Health Care Delivery, emphasised the need for the public to be enlightened patronising the Primary Health Centres for consultation to reduce the crowd at the secondary health facilities.

    She added that quality of any health facility could be determined through factors, such as accessibility,timeliness, affordability and technical competence of the attendants.

    The Director of Health Services, Dr. Nafiu Aigoro, advised all the heads of health facilities across the state to make use of what they have been taught to acquire and maintain positive results at their centers.

    The Programme with the theme “Strengthening the Health care delivery system” had in attendance Heads of facilities, Zonal Account Officers and Directors in the Hospitals Management Board.

  • Cross River workers begin indefinite strike on Friday

    Workers in Cross River State will on Friday embark on an indefinite strike following Government’s inability to meet their demands.
    Bulletins circulated by the Organised Labour Action Committee Bulletin indicated their demands included salaries of local government staff, teachers, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) staff, weighed in allowances and other salary related payments.
    They were shocked that the government claimed that the bailout funds they received was to offset loans acquired.
    “Labour says bailout funds are meant for payment of salary arrears, outstanding gratuities/pension and deduction from salaries.
    “Comrades this is our stand, our demand is that the government offsets all these payments if not please sat at home from October 2, 2015.
    “MDAs are grounded, no activity, no funding. One man show, no exco. Boards, commissions and agencies not formed. Promotion of civil servants stalled. Salaries paid in parts, no release of deductions from salaries. Civil servants are made bad debtors to banks and loan vendors. All we hear is noise and sirens. Comrades, we are tired of waiting,” the Bulletin read.
    After a botched meeting with the Governor Ben Ayade, Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade John Ushie, said the governor never granted them audience to sort out the issues until they had to resort to strike.
    “The strike is organized by the joint council, but as affiliates we are giving them the covering fire, so we just came out from a meeting with the government of Cross River State. We met with the deputy governor and it was smooth and it was going well in the way of negotiations and he pleaded we should meet with the governor.
    “We waited for a long time and when he came and met us he expressed disappointment because he said he has done a lot for Cross River and thought the workers would appreciate that but we did not. We let him understand that it was not true that workers don’t appreciate that he has paid salaries and paid net, because salaries are based on gross. But this other ones remaining are statutory. So if they are statutory and they are made from salaries, there is a need to remit that.
    “So check off dues should go to the union, loans from bank go the bank, then the computer scheme should to the company that supplied the computer, because Labour had given an approval to that in conjunction with government. So if government now sureties us and we now surety our workers, that money should go to where we they are supposed to go, otherwise, it would amount to double deductions.
    “We also let them know things are difficult for workers. Workers are getting loans from banks. That is how they are managing to survive, because the salaries we collect today in the service cannot take us.
    “Therefore these workers access loans from the bank and for the fact that the state government has refused to remit loans that were deducted from them to the banks, the bank has refused to give them loans. Many of them have come to my office to cry. So we appeal to the government to release what is due the workers. That is not government money. It is the money of the workers. That is what we are asking for. It is not something new.
    “We as workers of Cross River State appreciate the government. We are ready to cooperate as Labour, but that we are ready to cooperate does not erase the fact that what is supposed to be done right is not done and we keep quiet. It is not an issue of getting offended that we did not appreciate him, the truth is that there is a disconnect, no communication. We have sought audience severally with the governor to no avail. Since he assumed office this is the first time we are meeting. And if it was not because of the strike action, we would not have been able to meet with him,” Ushie said.
    Chairman of the State Joint Service Negotiation Council, Comrade Thomas Igbang, said the meeting they had with the governor ended in a stalemate because “we did not come to any agreement on issues we raised with the government.”

  • e-teaching training for workers

    Workers of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, have been trained to use electronic teaching and learning platforms.

    The training, which was sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), was attended by academics and some members of staff of the Information and Communication Technology Application Centre, ICTAC, of the university.

    The ICTAC Director, Mr Abayomi Babalola, said the training was to help the workers transit from the conventional method of teaching and learning to the 21st century practice of using electronic platforms.

    He said participants were trained to prepare instructional materials in a format compatible with the interactive LED screen; relate seamlessly in the virtual classroom environment; prepare, deploy, store, retrieve and broadcast educational resources over multiple media and devices.

    He thanked the university management for supporting the exercise.

  • Ogun to recruit workers for model schools

    The Ogun State Civil Service Commission has conducted an  examination for 3,435 candidates shortlisted for employment in model colleges spread across the state.

    Chairman of the Commission, Dr Susan Folarin visited Baptist Girls College and Lisabi Grammar School in Idi-Aba Abeokuta, which served as some of the centres for the examination to ensure that the best candidates were selected for interview.

    “The examination is not only for teachers but other professionals like nurses, bursars and accountants, among others. The aim of the examination is to determine the best, so it is when we have marked the papers that the best of these categories would be called for the next stage which is the oral interview,” she said.

    The Chairman assured that the schools would meet up with 2015/2016 academic session as machinery had been put in place to ensure this.

    One of the participants at the Lisabi Grammar School, Mr. Olatunbosun Ogundare, said the exercise was challenging.

     

  • Workers, foundation donate to inmates

    Workers, foundation donate to inmates

    Members of the staff welfare association of Paterson Zochonis (PZ) at the Aba plant, as well as the Inner Heart Foundation have lifted the spirits of people behind bars in the commercial city.  

    On a visit to the Aba Prisons, the workers and staff of PZ presented over 50 tubers of yam, a sewing machine, a bag of beans, five bags of rice, two bags of garri, about nine pillows, mosquito nets, bags of salt and sugar, a deep freezer, cartons of bar soap and detergents, cooking oil, about 20 in addition to an undisclosed amount of money.

    Last year, in the maiden edition of the outreach, the workers’ welfare union built a four-room toilet for Eziama Community Primary School in Aba North Local Government Area. The workers also gave N390,000 cheque to a staff of the school, Mr. Chika Kalu Sampson for the treatment of his daughter, Chika Kalu for a hole-in-heart surgery.

    Though as it was not the custom to allow journalists talk to the inmates, but the smiles and joy expressed by the inmates shows that they would always pray that either the group continues to remember them or that a donation of sort should continue to come their way.

    Some of the staff who spoke to our reporter including Mr. Emma Ofordu said that they were extremely happy to have touched the lives of others in need positively.

    Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Abadom, the General Manager for PZ Cussons Nigeria, Aba, said, “We are the foremost manufacturers in Nigeria. We have one of the biggest soap plants in Nigeria and what we do is that once every year, we look for a corporate project that we can use to touch the heart of communities around us. Last year, we visited some schools and we made some donations to them. This year, we have decided to come and visit the prisons and also to contribute and handover some of the things which you see around here for the welfare of the prisoners and to ensure that the reformation process goes on smoothly in order to achieve the desired result at the end of the day”.

    How they come about the money for the items? Mr. Abadom, said “Every single thing that you see here was purchased from the contribution of the entire staff of the company (PZ Cussons, Aba). So, what we do is that at the beginning of every year, we will come together and make pledges; everybody contributing from his or her salary. We look at it as a humanitarian gesture to assist the less privilege around our community.

    “We believe that in helping the community as stakeholders of the community, the overall society can be better. We don’t confine ourselves to our work environment; we also reach out to the community. So, it’s actually from the contributions of the workers from their salaries that all these items were bought. It is not by compulsion, but voluntarily. A lot of donations were made without people even knowing who donated them, we announced those that want their names to be announced and those who donated anonymously were not mentioned.

    “What we are doing is not synonymous with the plant here in Aba, it is ongoing in all the branches of the establishment across Nigeria; it is Pan-Nigeria. They equally try to reach out to their local communities. So, this is only an arm.

    “By what we have just done, it is a means of encouraging others because if everybody reaches out to assist one another, chances are that there will be drop in crime. There will be assistance and people will be able to get the benefit. We cannot wait on the government to do everything, it is not fair. The government is actually doing their very best to assist and bring things up. However, we as well, we need to assist the government in every little way we can do that; whether it is reaching out to the children or the community or whether it is to build pipe borne water or borehole; in any way we can help the government. At the end of the day, it is still our premises and where we reside and by that, we will as well help the government to get to the level where we want to be”.

    On his advice for his colleagues, the Aba Plant manager added “The seed we sow now, we hope to see the benefit in the future. It is not necessarily about monetary benefit. For the very fact that you can wake up in the morning and walk around your environment happily and safe, it’s a big achievement. So, it is not necessarily in terms of monetary reward, we expect the society to be better. Once the society is better, you will reap from directly and indirectly from that society and that’s our prayer”.

    The head of the Prison facility DCP (Deputy Comptroller of Prisons), Ugba Stephen who received the items on behalf of the staff and inmates said that the items would go a long way in meeting the needs of the inmates and facility and debunked the notion that items donated to the inmates were being diverted and shared among the staff other than the purpose for which it was meant for.

    Mr. Stephen used the opportunity to appeal to other private and corporate organizations in and around the commercial city to emulate the gestures of the PZ staffers which he said would ensure that the daily needs of the inmates were met.

    “The items are for the inmates and if it were possible for one of the inmates to come here, you will personally ask them about how I feed them. Any item that is given to them will be distributed to them and they can attest to that. So, that is the principle of my life because if you cheat someone today, God will pay you back in one way or the other. So, the best is to make sure that you give your best to humanity; give your best to the inmates that you are caring for.

    “I am impressed with what they brought because we have written a lot of letters for companies to come to our aid. Some have come and those items they brought were used for the purpose that it was meant for. So, this item that you see will be fully given to the inmates.

    “All hands are not equal. We will keep appealing to other companies to see how they can come to our aide. People responds at their own pace based on their financial capacity and I strongly believe that they will come to our aide.

    “I pray that God replenishes their purse because they are touching the lives of those in needs and God in his wisdom will touch their lives abundantly,” the DCP prayed.