The Nation Newspaper

Tag: workers

  • Why we’re backing sacked poly workers, by unions

    The national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and that of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) yesterday explained their reasons for backing the 32 sacked workers of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in Owo, Ondo State.

    The unions alleged that the workers were being victimised by the institution’s management and the government.

    They spoke with reporters through their representatives- the Zone C Coordinator of ASUP, Mr. Adewale Dosunmu and the National Secretary of SSANIP, Monday Jegede, after the court session.

    The unionists said they were at the National Industrial Court to support the sacked workers, comprising 10 lecturers and 22 non-teaching staff.

    Dosunmu said efforts by the national bodies of the unions to intervene in the matter had failed, following the refusal of the government’s representatives to listen to the national bodies.

    The Zone C Coordinator of ASUP said: “This case is not new to me. I was a victim of victimisation. For 26 months, I was jobless. Femi Falana Chambers handled my case at the National Industrial Court, Lagos and I was eventually paid my 26 months’ salary. This matter is similar to it and I think my case should be used as a reference. I see victory at the end and I believe my people will be liberated.

    “These people are being victimised. They were accused of many things. They called them politicians. ASUP is a union; it is not a political party. They went on strike to demand their rights. Instead of being justified, they were victimised. ASUP national body has written letters and mediated in the matter. But when we realised that these people were buying time, we concluded that the judiciary is the last hope and this is why we are in court today.”

    Jegede alleged that several times he had attempted to see the governor, but was denied access to him.

    He said: “As the National Secretary of SSANIP, I wrote to the governor seeking audience with him. I followed this up about six times, but they disallowed me from seeing him. Later, we contacted the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and it intervened. But the governor refused. The workers are being punished because they are demanding their rights. They refused dialogue because they have no genuine reasons for sacking the workers.

    “We contacted the NLC. On the inauguration day of the governor, I was here, the President of NLC was here in Akure. We tried to meet the governor on this issue, but he refused. Before we attempted to meet him, we met the Rector and the Chairman of the Governing Council twice, but they did not give us genuine reasons.”

    Justice A.N. Ubaka adjourned the case till October 4 for hearing.

  • Workers get three months to register with PFAs

    If the proposal before the National Assembly sees the light of the day, new employees will be given a period of three months to open Retirement Savings Account (RSA) with the Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) of their choice.

    If they don’t, their contributions will be transferred to a temporary RSA opened for such employees.

    This is in appreciation of the fact that some employers who have been complying with the provisions of the Pension Act still have unremitted pension contributions due to the failure of some of their employees to open RSAs.

    It is believed that it would be unjust to hold such employers liable for the violation of the Pension Act because they have custody of the pension funds of some employees who were yet to open RSAs.

    Based on the guidelines on Transitional Contributions Fund issued by the National Pension Commission (PenCom), on assumption of duty, new workers are required to register with the PFA of their choice within a period of six months.

    This means that where any employee that should come under the Contributory Pension Scheme has received salary for a minimum of three months fails to open a RSA and submit particulars of such account to his employer for remitting his pension contributions, the contributions on such employees shall be managed by a PFA under the temporary RSA.

    Following an employee’s failure to open RSA, the employer will choose a PFA for remitting the pension contributions of such employees albeit temporarily.

    To ensure ease of administration while minimising reconciliation, the employer shall choose only one PFA for the purpose of administering the temporary RSA of its employees.

    The employer shall maintain a nominal record of the members of the temporary RSA, their contributions and update same as employee members of the fund open their RSAs.

    On the remittance of contributions, the draft guidelines provide that the employer shall remit the accumulated contributions in respect of all its employees that fall under the category outlined under this category to the PFA.

    Contributions belonging to employees that have left the services of the organisation without submitting their RSA details shall also be remitted along with those still in service.

  • Council sacks six workers

    The EKSU Governing Council has approved the dismissal of three senior academic staff for alleged manipulation of examination scores, plagiarism and failure to serve the university after being sponsored abroad.

    Another three had their appointments terminated for gross academic misconduct, falsification of employment records and sexual harassment.

    The council took the decision at its 108th meeting, where recommendations of the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee on the concerned staff were considered.

     

  • Fed Govt workers yet to get group life cover

    Fed Govt workers yet to get group life cover

    • Govt owes 2011, 2012 premium

    Federal Government workers are yet to be covered under the Group Life Insurance Scheme for this year as required by the Pension Reform Act 2004.

    The Act states in Section 9(3) that employers shall maintain life insurance policy in favour of their employes for “a minimum of three times the annual total emolument of the employee”.

    This implies that dependents of deceased government workers in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), such as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Ministry of Education, and Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Ministry of Power, among others, who die in active service are not eligible to get compensation.

    This is in line with the enforcement of the ‘No premium, No cover policy’ directive of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

    This development, sources said, might have forced the Nigeria Police that have in recent times been recording heavy casualties as a result of security challenges in the country, to opt out of the scheme.

    Although the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is yet to request for life insurance cover for the workers, the Federal Government owes premiums of N3billion and N4billion for Group Life purchased in 2011 and 2012.

    Last year, the Federal Government had directed the former Head of Service of the Federation, Isa Bello Sali, to pay outstanding premiums for last year’s group life assurance scheme. But up till today, the money has not been paid.

    Stating reasons the premiums have not been paid, the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Bukar Aji, said: “What caused the six-month delay in the payment of workers’ insurance policy premium for the 2012 financial year was because my office could not secure on time the certification from the Due Process Office, which was required for the payment.”

    He explained that the process of payment of the group life insurance for the federal workers had changed, adding that it is being handled by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

    According to him, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved payment of insurance premium through the office of the AGF.

    Aji said the Office of the Head of Service had forwarded a letter to that effect to President Goodluck Jonathan for approval and was asked to revert to the earlier approval of FEC for the Office of the AGF to pay.

    He, however, said the government was ready to pay the outstanding N7 billion premium for 2011 and 2012.

    According to him, the government prioritised the welfare of its employees, adding that the insurance cover would serve as an encouragement for families of deceased workers.

    He said the government had to manage available resources in the light of competing demands.

    Speaking on the provision for this year’s life insurance, Aji said: “There will be cover for the workers this year. What we have in the appropriation bill for 2013 insurance cover is N11billion. The total outstanding premium for 2011 and 2012 is about N7billion; that is, N4billion for 2012 and N3billion for N2011.

    “The way it is done is that the Ministry of Finance gives the instruction to Director-General (DG) of the Budget Office and the DG sends it to the Accountant-General’s office; the Accountant-General releases the funds to the HOS and the HOS pays into the respective insurers’ bank accounts and all that.

    ”So, it is just a question of electronically instructing the Office of the Accountant-General to pay so that it can reduce the time deployed to process it. But whether the full premium for this year would be paid or not depended on the level of revenue generation and inflow to the Federal Government.”

    President Jonathan, while swearing in Aji at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, noted that the civil service was central to the realisation of his administration’s Transformation Agenda.

    He charged him to work towards curtailing corruption and enhancing discipline in the service.

    He said his government and Nigerians expect Aji to focus on those areas that are most important to the people.

    Octogenarian and industrial giant, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode told The Nation in Lagos recently that the payment of a premium is a contractual obligation.

    His words: “When you enter into a contract, you must discharge your responsibility under that contract to an individual or the public you had a contract with. It does not matter what the contract is but it is designed to deliver some hope to the individual or the public as the case may be. So, if you don’t keep up to the contract terms, then it means you are not being fair to those whom you have entered into the contract with.

    ”The insurance of workers is a matter of contract. If you choose not to go the route of contract but you want to bear the cost yourself, that is your choice. So, if the Federal Government wants to charge the cost of making good the loss or damage a worker experiences and wants to reflect that in his budget rather than the premium to pay to an insurer, those are two choices you must choose from.”

    The Director-General, Nigeria Insurers Association, Mr Sunday Thomas, said the government needs to adjust to the dispensation.

    “This is the first year of deliberate effort to enforce no premium, no cover by NAICOM and all we can hope for is that it should get better in future,” he said.

    The Managing Director, Scib Insurance Brokers, Mr Shola Tinubu, said the law has made it the responsibility of the employer to ensure that his employees are insured for stipulated benefit.

    He noted that if for any reason, the employer does not insure his workers, such employer has contravened the law.

    “But what do we do when government is concerned as the employer in this case and when it had ample notice?

    “The commissioner for insurance had done publicity about ‘no premium no cover’, which is not a new rule. NAICOM did not reinvent the rules, it was the law that was already in existence that they are implementing. NAICOM also set up a forum where its officials discussed with government institutions and desk officers. They told them cover was going to be strictly no premium, no cover in advance and things that needed to be done.”

    According to him, at the end, the private sector responded appropriately because they do not think they are above the law and they know they need to comply.

    “But what can we do if the government institutions refuse to comply with the law also passed by an arm of government?

    “There is really nothing we can do but they are still culpable. They are still responsible because people die in service and they must ensure benefits are paid.

    “As an industry and as a people, we should understand that if we watch a general problem continue and fester because it is not affecting us at that particular point in time, it may become a big problem to us in the future hence the need to address the challenge now,” he said.

     

  • Arts & Culture workers protest relocation

    The Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union (RATTAWU), Lagos Council, yesterday protested the “hasty relocation” of its members from the premises of the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

    The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, recently ordered agencies on the premises of the National Theatre to relocate to allow the concessioning of the premises to private developers.

    Among parastatals affected are the National Gallery of Arts, National Council for Arts and Culture, National Institute for Cultural Orientation and National Troupe of Nigeria.

    RATTAWU said its members were relocated to a dilapidated building with a “rusty and unserviceable elevator”.

    It said the act negates Decree 47 of 1991, which states that the National Theatre “should protect and promote our cultural heritage”.

    In a statement by its Chairman, Comrade Godwin Itotowa, RATTAWU said: “The National Troupe cannot be productive where it was relocated to because there are no theatres and other enabling facilities.

    “The art works of the National Gallery of Arts are in a store under the custody of the National Theatre. The implication is that these art works will rot away. They are meant to be displayed and properly kept, not to be stored. The gallery workers are without their work materials and a gallery.”

    Urging Nigerians to prevent the “killing” of arts and culture, it said: “There are no galleries, libraries, theatres, craft shops and work shops at the new locations.”

  • Etisalat workers train Lagos pupils on counselling

    Etisalat workers train Lagos pupils on counselling

    Pupils from select public secondary schools in Lagos have benefited from a career counselling programme organised by Etisalat Nigeria.

    The event, the eighth to be organised by the company, was held in partnership with the Lagos Empowerment and Resource Network (LEARN).

    Over 500 pupils from Ogba Junior Grammar School, Oke-Ira Junior and Senior Grammar Schools, Ojodu Junior High School, Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Secondary School, Omole Junior and Senior Grammar Schools and State High School, Ikeja learnt various career choices, creatively delivered by workers of Etisalat.

    A financial analyst Akinjide Obanewa, explained the rudiments of the accounting profession; Bankole Alao, Etisalat’s Manager, Data Marketing spoke on marketing technology while the sessions were rounded-off by a presentation on the attributes and duties of a Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) professional.

    Representing the Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans, Director of Legal Services, Adeolu Idowu, said the event enabled Etisalat employees to fulfil a desire to give back to society by volunteering time and their skills in providing career counselling and mentorship to the pupils.

    “Career counselling scheme brings a great feeling for us at Etisalat because it enables us to demonstrate our passion for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), through both internal and external platforms. We are aware that students need appropriate direction to make compatible and fulfilling career choices, because a wrong career move may have some serious negative long-term effects,” she said.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, Dolapo Biodun, praised Etisalat for its impact on the students’ knowledge bank, future contributions to society and self-development.

    Addressing the pupils, LEARN Executive Director, Mrs Bisi Awoyomi, encouraged the pupils to make career choices based on God-given talents, not because of family values or societal influence.

    There was excitement when Etisalat rewarded all winners of competitions with prizes, including laptops and HP printers.

    The competitions included mental exercises like spelling bee and inter-school debates. The students also watched a performance by Nigerian singer and producer, DJ Zeez and Sean Tizzle.

    The sponsors have lined up two more career counseling sessions for Lagos to hold in Surulere and Lagos Island later in the year.

     

  • ‘Why Ondo council workers haven’t been paid’

    The delay in the salary of council workers in Ondo State was caused by the just concluded staff verification, it was learnt yesterday.

    Some local government workers were last paid in February.

    An official at the Local Government Service Commission (OSLGSC) said: “The government is trying to sanitise councils and eliminate ghost workers before paying salary.”

    When The Nation visited the commission, its officials were compiling documents to facilitate the payment of the two months salary arrears.

    A fraud was discovered recently in seven councils. It was allegedly perpetrated by officials of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and some council workers.

    There were also reports of illegal employment of workers in councils.

    A source in the Office of the Head of Service (HoS), Mrs. Kosemani Kolawole, said all public servants received their April salary last week.

  • Jonathan’s new task for workers

    Jonathan’s new task for workers

    The lyrics of one of Fela’s popular songs resonated in my head as I read the reports of the allegations traded by President Goodluck Jonathan and Nigerian labour leaders over the scourge of corruption in Nigeria. In the song titled Authority Stealing, two parties label each other as thieves, rogues and armed robbers, and also took turns to refute the labels. I had thought the dramatic arrangement would never find expression in real life until President Jonathan and Nigerian labour leaders traded similar accusations at the Eagle Square, Abuja venue of the Centenary May Day 2013 celebration on Wednesday.

    In the address he delivered on the occasion, the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, had accused the President of encouraging corruption by granting presidential pardon to a former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, after the latter was convicted by the courts for stealing billions of naira belonging to the Bayelsa State Government while he held sway as governor, with Jonathan as his deputy.

    Omar said: “Corruption remains the most serious factor undermining the realisation of our economic potential. Government must not only make commitments to fighting it, government must demonstrate this commitment by its actions, by its style and by its body language. In this regard, we find the pardon granted to a former governor who was convicted of corruptly enriching himself as unfortunate and a major dent on the government’s commitments to fighting corruption. To reclaim lost ground, government needs to reassure Nigerians that it is still committed to fighting corruption by conclusively dealing with pending cases of corruption.”

    His position was corroborated by the President General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Peter Esele, who condemned the light sentence given John Yusufu, a pension thief convicted and fined a paltry N750,000 for conniving with others to defraud the Police Pension Office of N27.2 billion. Esele called on the National Assembly to immediately review the laws under which Yusuf was tried. He said: “We are particularly miffed at the ridiculously ‘friendly’ sentence that was awarded by an Abuja High Court against John Yusuf, the self-confessed pension thief, some weeks ago. We reiterate our earlier stand that the said sentence should be appealed against by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). We also prescribe that the provisions of the laws under which he was charged and sentenced be reviewed by the National Assembly with a view to stipulating sufficiently commensurate punishment for the offences therein. John Yusufu and his likes should not be allowed to loot our collective commonwealth and go scot free.”

    But before the labour leaders could settle into their seats, President Jonathan was on his feet, throwing verbal jibes at them and accusing Nigerian workers of shielding their corrupt colleagues instead of blowing the whistle. “Labour has been in the forefront of the demand for good governance and increased action against corruption, and these issues are being vigorously tackled on various fronts. Prosecution is being pursued in matters arising from the fuel subsidy fraud. Embezzlement of pension funds and other serious long standing malpractices are being demystified by this administration. Even at the core of this perpetration are the senior and junior members of labour unions. Greater attention to peer review action on the part of labour will be much appreciated,” President Jonathan said.

    As would be expected, the verbal exchange between the President and the labour leaders has been generating reactions. A querulous friend told me that the task of fishing out corrupt public officials, which the President has saddled civil servants with is simply unrealistic. Citing the Alamieyeseigha case as an example, he reasoned that it would have amounted to a combined act of blasphemy and foolhardiness for a poor civil servant in Bayelsa State to sound the alarm bell when Alamieyeseigha buried his head in the state’s treasury and sucked out its content until it became virtually empty. Such a temerarious civil servant, my friend argued, would be lucky if his woes were limited to being relieved of his job. Otherwise, the poor whistle blower would not only be fired for embarrassing the state’s chief executive and his army of executive aides, he would also be hunted and hounded until it would become impossible for him to remain in Bayelsa or even Nigeria.

    He further queried: “Even if civil servants are culpable in acts of corruption, would the appropriate response from the Presidency be to pardon those that are convicted? What then becomes of the saying that two wrongs cannot make a right? And since when did it become the responsibility of civil servants to arrest criminals? And if they do, what fate awaits them when the thieves so arrested are set free by the powers that be? Their effort would not only be an exercise in futility, it will also expose them to the risk of being attacked by the questionable characters they seek to expose.”

    But I think differently. Nigerians who before now had accused the President of falling short of the imagination needed to lead a country as complex as Nigeria must be burying their heads in shame after his brilliant antidote to corruption in public office. By some condemnable acts of omission, it did not occur to the army of Jonathan’s critics at home and abroad that a civil servant can do much more than carry files from one office to another. To justify their huge pay and also prove that they are loyal and patriotic, our civil servants must combine their primary jobs with those of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, the State Security Service (SSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other agencies of government hitherto saddled with the task of fishing out thieving workers. The civil servant must now not only learn to arrest his thieving colleagues, he must also prosecute them where necessary.

    That, I insist, does not amount to usurping the duties of the security agencies. It is in keeping with the saying that if a man sights a snake and a woman kills it, the important thing is that the snake dies. And those who think the new assignment Jonathan has given Nigerian workers would render the anti-corruption agencies redundant should be told that it is a perfect arrangement because the agencies may have no time for anti-corruption war in the weeks ahead. As the President’s second-term campaign gathers momentum, they will be too busy prosecuting the war for his return in 2015.

  • PHOTO OF THE DAY (Gun and the Camera)

    PHOTO OF THE DAY (Gun and the Camera)

    Which is mightier, the Camera or the Gun? This question is informed by the picture of the security men and photojournalists at the May Day celebration in Abuja on Wednesday.

    On occasion like this, there is no need for either the policemen or the journalists to prove any superiority. The fully armed policemen were at the event not as members of any of the Unions marking the workers day celebration but to protect the government officials led by President Goodluck Jonathan while the photojournalists were also on duty to record the event.

     

     

     

  • Chime greets workers

    Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime has said dialogue and consultation remain the best means of resolving disputes between workers and their employers.

    Chime, who spoke to Organised Labour, said since both groups need each other, their interests and aspirations could only be served and fulfilled in an atmosphere of mutual understanding.

    He praised the harmonious relationship between his administration and labour, saying the partnershiphad helped to bring about a positive and remarkable change in the social and economic life of the people.