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Tag: workers

  • Osun workers suspend strike

    Osun workers suspend strike

    Public workers in Osun State, under the aegis of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), have suspended their indefinite strike.

    The workers, who started the indefinite strike last Wednesday, after Christmas celebrations, were protesting the state government’s payment of modulated salary.

    The industrial action was suspended after labour unions and the state government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the demands of the workers.

    After signing the pact, the state’s Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Jacob Adekomi said the government had approved the payment of full salary for December 2017 to workers and pensions, all from the last N6.3 billion Paris Club refund the state government got from the Federal Government.

    According to him, payment of full salary and pension will “hopefully” begin by the second quarter of this year.

    Adekomi noted that modalities for subsequent payment of salary and pension between this month and second quarter of the year would be addressed by the standing committee on apportionment, payment of salaries and critical expenses.

    The labour leader said the government had also approved the release of N1 billion for bond certificate of public servants, who retired on Contributory Pension Scheme.

    He said the Rauf Aregbesola administration would be committing N5.8 billion to payment of workers’ emoluments, representing 91 per cent of the total receipt from the third tranche of the Paris Club Refund.

    Adekomi said the government had lifted the embargo on promotions based on nominal condition, confirmation of appointments, advancement, transfers, inter-cadre conversions and yearly increments.

    The labour leader hailed Governor Rauf Aregbesola for acceding to the workers’ requests in the face of financial difficulties.

  • NGO hails Aregbesola, Osun workers

    NGO hails Aregbesola, Osun workers

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Democracy and Good Governance Forum (DGGD), has hailed Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the workers’ unions for the prompt resolution of the strike the workers started last Wednesday.

    In a statement yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, by its Chairman/Convener, Tunde Oladunjoye, DGGD hailed Osun labour leaders for their “maturity and understanding of the realities on the ground regarding the drop in Federal allocation to the state, occasioned by economy recession”.

    The statement said: “The resolve of the workers to cooperate with Governor Aregbesola is a practical demonstration of genuine partnership and support for the governor’s unprecedented infrastructural and overall development of the state. The workers will occupy a golden corner when the history of the success of the current administration will be written by posterity…”

  • Workers’expectations in 2018, by Wabba

    Workers’expectations in 2018, by Wabba

    To workers, the outgoing year is tough. Many lost their jobs; some were not paid salaries. On another front, the continued fall of the naira and the rise in inflation, among others, made life difficult for them. However, labour is optimistic that 2018 will be better, writes TOBA AGBOOLA.

    To organised labour, the outgoing year has been very challenging.

    The  economy, was troubled and the citizenry, workers particularly, feet the pains.

    The workers are, however, optimistic that the incoming year will be better. Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba, in this interview with The Nation, listed workers’expectations in 2018. He  said they expected the government to tackle unemployment, unpaid salaries and pension and introduce a new minimum wage.

    The NLC chief pledged that the sector would witness robust labour activities aimed at improving workers’welfare

    Wabba said the congress would recommit itself to leading the oppressed. In doing this, he said, the NLC leadership will conduct itself responsibly.

    The congress, he said, would liaise with her allies to engage the government and other critical stakeholders. Wabba asked for the support of workers and the masses for a better Nigeria.

    He said the outgoing year was  eventful and challenging for workers due to some developments in the polity, which tested their resilience.

     

    Job creation

    Following the thousands of jobs  lost last year, Wabba said the workers expected the government to invest in job creation initiatives in the new year.

    Wabba said: “Crisis of unemployment in the new year, and monumental unemployment will remain with us.”

    He said though the All Progressivess Congress (APC) government at the centre made clear its promise in its manifesto of delivering three million jobs yearly, he expressed sadness that after two years in the saddle, it is, perhaps, time to ask the government to give a scorecard to the Nigerians that went through a lot of odds to elect this government.

    He said: “How many jobs has the Federal Government and the 23 states controlled by the ruling party created in furtherance of its pledge to Nigerians during the electioneering campaign.

    “We had stated in our past new year’s messages, as well as other policy pronouncements, that we have some ideas on how we can create new and sustainable jobs.

    ‘’Unfortunately, no one in the government has thought it necessary to give us a hearing on what these ideas are, and what they entail.

    “At present, we are not even sure which ministry or agency of the government is the focal point on job creation.

    “What we have said of the ruling APC party, applies in large measures as well to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the states they control.

    “We will in the new year continue to knock on the doors of all organs of government and put on the agenda the massive unemployment situation the country is facing.”

    Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, appealed to the Federal Government to remember its “change mantra”, adding that it makes no sense accusing and condemning the previous administrations for corruption only for the recovered money to be re-looted.

    “Mere leaving a political party for the ruling party must not make anybody a saint. Anti-graft agencies and the judiciary must prosecute those who were caught with our money. We know corruption is fighting back but we are confident that the war over evil will always emerge victorious. The world is watching and waiting for the pride of Africa and most populated black nation to blossom. The Federal Government’s economic recovery plan must not fail.  No more excuses,” he said.

     

    Unpaid salaries and pensions/retrenchments

    The NLC president said in the preceding year, the union tackled some state governments over non-payment of outstanding wages and pension of workers and pensioners.

    He said one of the legacies of the misrule of the preceding years is the  irregular and non-payment of retired civil servants, which, he said amounted to 12 months’arrears in many states.

    Wabba said: “In fairness to the Federal Government, President Buhari had made consistent efforts to bail out state governments to pay workers’ wages in the states as 27 of the 36 states were in default at the inception of the administration in Mays 2015.

    “In the New Year, the Congress would work with state councils of the NLC to engage state governments to pay up pension arrears of their retired employees, and to conclude arrangements to join the Contributory Pension Scheme as provided for in the Pensions Reform Act of 2014.

    “In the same vein, we shall mobilise for all employers to pay the new pensions contribution of 18 per cent of total pay which came into effect with the signing of the new Pension Act into law in July 2014.”

    He also said the congress anti-casualisation campaigns would be intensified in the New Year.

    He said the NLC would continue its campaign against the incidence of non-payment of salaries.

     

    Struggle against increase in price of petrol

    Wabba lamented that petroleum products price increase has been a recurring decimal in the past two decades and the argument has been the same. He said: “We continue to wonder why we cannot refine our products locally for domestic use and even for export, which in the long-run would create a chain of benefits.

    “The full implementation of all the palliative measures to cushion the effect of the increase in fuel price as recommended by the Technical Committee is still being awaited. We call on the government to expedite action on the implementation of the recommendations”.

    Nigeria   Union   of   Petroleum   and   Natural   Gas   Workers   (NUPENG)   in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Igwe Achese, decried the pains caused by the fuel scarcity.

    The Union frowned  at  the  incessant fuel scarcity, which has resulted to long queues, loss of man-hours and endless search for products. NUPENG  said the scarcity  has   further worsened the  citizens’ standard of living through increased  fares and goods and services’ prices.

    The Union called on the government to address the situation instead of trading blames when the depots are dry. It, therefore, called on the Federal Government to urge the appropriate bodies to flood the market with petroleum products in 2018 as a stopgap. In the long run, it stressed that the nation’s four refineries should be revamped to reduce the pressure on foreign exchange for petroleum products import.

     

    Minimum wage increment

    Labour expressed optimism that the Federal Government would give workers a good living wage.

    President Buhari last month okayed the appointment of a 30-member tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee for the negotiation of a new National Minimum Wage.

    Wabba said:“Our expectation is that the demand of labour will be met.

    “We will discuss with an open mind to ensure that we achieve our aims and objectives.’’

    He said the meeting with the tripartite committee would be a social dialogue and that of collective bargaining.

    According to him, the inauguration is long overdue and that effort will be made to fast-track negotiations to ensure that workers and pensioners get their accrued benefits.

    He said labour would discuss issues relating to rate of Naira because the exchange rate had increased from when N56,000 was being proposed by labour.

    NLC General Secretary, Mr Peter Ozo-Eson, also said the committee would discuss many issues affecting the minimum wage.

    According to Ozo-Eson, it is over two years since labour proposed N56,000 as minimum wage to the government; and so will consider some socio-economic indices to take its action.

    He said the labour was looking forward to the inauguration because the committee was made up of a tripartite group that would discuss issues affecting the workers.

    “We look forward to the inauguration, which I believe will discuss the facts and realities when it starts the negotiation.”

     

    Fight against corruption and for good governance

    Wabba said in furtherance of the union campaign for good governance and struggle against corruption, the Congress in collaboration with the TUC would continue to  support the Federal Government in the fight against corruption.

    ‘’We have maintained our historic commitment to the fight against corruption in our country because we are clear that our lack of development is largely attributable to the level of corruption in our polity.

    “For us, there is the need to strengthen the fight against corruption and make it holistic and speedy enough for Nigerians to reap the benefits by deploying the recovered looted funds into meaningful development ventures. We call on the National Assembly to expeditiously pass into law the two Executive Bills that we consider critical to make the fight against corruption effective, as follow “The Special Criminal Courts Bill”, which was submitted to the National Assembly last year; and the “Whistle Blowers and Witness Protection Bill”, meant to protest whistle blowers and witnesses from injury, death, economic sabotage, job termination, among others,” he said.

  • ‘Aregbesola ‘ll not compromise workers’ welfare’

    ‘Aregbesola ‘ll not compromise workers’ welfare’

    Ayo Akinola is a Senior Special Assistant to Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola. In this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE in Lagos, he speaks on the people-oriented programmes of the administration and other issues.

    How cordial  is the relationship between workers and Osun State governor?

    The relationship is very cordial. This will surprise many cynics who stay far away from Osun and theorise about how things should or should not be, or on how things are. We are transparent and that is the major reason workers are behind us. The other reason is because Osun as a whole has not had it this good since its creation. And the good thing about it is that all government spendings are targeted at the masses, the ordinary people, and the vulnerable. That is why the governor has a cult following among the people. You need to come to the state anytime the governor has social outings. He is almost always mobbed by cheering crowds. You’ll see market women and men, children, the ordinary people abandoning their shops and wares to escort him any time he is in town, out of the office for engagements. As for the elite in the services and elsewhere who have been used to diverting developmental money for personal convenience, I can’t say if they love this government, and they are in the very minority. Note that empty barrels make the loudest noise, especially when things are no longer what they used to be for them. If the picture they are painting were true, it would have been a different scenario from the teeming masses. You know you can’t stop or gag them not to express their minds. In this country, we’ve seen when and where a governor or some governors were pelted with all kind of things to register their displeasure.

    You talked about transparency. What do you mean?

    I don’t know of any government in this country that has the confidence or temerity to engage any past labour leader, not to talk of a fiery one like Comrade Hassan Sunmonu. I was a kid in secondary school when Sunmonu then as national labour leader engaged the Federal Government led by Alhaji Shehu Usman Shagari. It was as if we were in a war situation as far as his demands for welfare of workers were concerned. Up till today, I doubt if we have had a labour leader better than Hassan Sunmonu in the pursuit of welfare of workers. If this is the same man the government of Osun appoints to oversee the equitable distribution of resources of the state on a monthly basis, so as to ensure transparency, then, we need to appreciate the head of such government. In other lands, governments stay at bay from labour leaders, whether retired or serving, like, “don’t come near my government” because of skeletons they most often have in their cupboards.  This singular act says something about our governor and transparency. Till today, no worker has accused Comrade Sunmonu of betrayal. I think there’s need for commendations.

    Critics say the government is more concerned about building roads, flyovers and school than paying attention to workers’ welfare. How true is this claim?

    Nothing could be farther from the truth. We are also aware of this assertion, but government is not bothered because it is mere hearsay. People make statements without even making efforts to look into records. At least we already have the Freedom of Information Act which empowers every citizen to seek and get information on how they are governed. Why can’t they go to government to obtain facts and figures? It is because they themselves lack credibility and focus. In matters of public administration and policies, you don’t make assumptions. You go for the source of information and obtain it.

    The truth of the matter, as I often say, is that quite opposite is the case. Let me say here and now that payment of salaries and pensions, in the past seven years of this administration in Osun have, in fact, stunted the growth of this state to no small measure, and this is so sad that our future as a state is bleak if we continue in this way. Let me also tell you that this governor has over-leaned on the side of workers, trying hard to please them, most times to the detriment of real growth. How do I mean? At the inception of this administration, some of us thought that the best thing to move this state forward would have been to ration the work force. We thought, and rightly too, that the workforce the new government met on round would be detrimental to the true growth if we didn’t downsize. The government thought otherwise, to the extent that in other climes, the workforce is the pivot of growth if every single worker contributes value, real value. Look at China and other Asian countries like India. They have huge workforce, in line with their huge population and everyone, to no exception, works towards the growth of the economy. Somebody some time ago, described the average Chinese as a working ant. Do you take time to study the ant? Every single one of them works to the betterment of the colony, without exception. That is Asia for you. Look at the Asian tigers; the Four Asian Tigers, Four Asian Dragons or Four Little Dragons, are the economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, which underwent rapid industrialisation and maintained exceptionally high growth rates (in excess of seven percent a year) between the early 1960s (mid-1950s for Hong Kong) and 1990s. It was their workforce that brought this to bear. So, a huge workforce is good inasmuch as everyone takes on the gauntlet of work and work, work and work in the private and public establishments. With this huge workforce, we will witness fast and best development. But what do we find here generally with the black race? Consumption without the correspondent will to create. It is so sad. Professor Niyi Akinnaso once wrote an article ‘What is wrong with the black man and Africans?’. It is pathetic that a continent that prides itself as the cradle of human race, human civilisation, human development, in arts, science, medicine and crafts is now the docility of the modern world; it’s now the most backward human race; the butt of jokes of the modern world. The world has left us behind in all factors of development. We are now at the bottom pit. Religion is now our pride which we shamelessly export and showcase to the originating nations, milking and under-developing ourselves in the process in superstitions. Modern religions started in the east, modernised by the west. But, both have moved forward, but we are still holding tight, not to let go because we’ve refused to think.

    To answer your question, we went into government financial and expenditure records and the findings were disheartening. Within the seven years of the government of Rauf Aregbesola, a whopping N200 billion was spent on payments of salaries, allowances and pensions while a relatively paltry sum of N60billion naira went into infrastructure, or what we call capital projects. This translates to 77 per cent to 23 per cent respectively. The reverse should have been the case. No nation develops this way and it is so sad. So, when people falsely declare that Osun government is building infrastructures to the detriment of workers’ welfare, it is laughable.

    A new national minimum wage is in the offing. What is your take?

    I was in this country, though a child, when the minimum wage was raised to N25 in the early seventies during the General Yakubu Gowon military era. Civil servants went on a spending spree, buying television sets which were on “four legs”, drinking to stupor from night parties organised by civil servants, who just received the Udoji Awards. During the time of Hassan Sunmonu as labour leader, the minimum wage went to N125 or thereabout, from a demand of N300 by organised labour. What did we have in result? We had galloping inflation to the detriment of same workers. General Ibrahim Babangida’s military administration raised wages more than six times during his tenure. Did it serve the average workers any good? Why do we like doing things the same way and expect to see better results? Can’t we be creative for once? I’m not saying raising workers salary is bad. But we must be scientific about it. Wages must be commensurate to real productivity, not a sweeping raise where the productive and non-productive workers are lumped together. It is detrimental to growth.

    Why can’t we spend money to encourage the creative industry and discourage going into the civil services? When you pump money into the civil service, you’re encouraging an upsurge in youths going there, which does little to explore and explode their creativity. But if you put money largely into cottage industries, similar to the N-Power initiative, as well as the back to land initiatives which Aregbesola has been engaging in, you’re encouraging creativity and productivity. This is what can take us to the Promised Land, not putting the entirety of our resources into the civil services which engages less than one percent of the total population.

  • Federal Secretariat records low turnout of workers

    Federal Secretariat records low turnout of workers

    There was low turnout of workers at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja yesterday.

    The Federal Government declared Dec.ember 25 and 26 as public holidays to mark the Christmas and Boxing Day celebrations.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents who were at the secretariat in Abuja, observed that the secretariat which was usually a beehive of activities was virtually empty.

    NAN also reports that most offices were locked and a few members of the staff and cleaners were seen hanging around.

    Some workers who spoke to NAN attributed the low turnout of workers to the yuletide season as many people had traveled.

    Mr Udochukwu Mgbeche, of the Ministry Of Communication Technology, told NAN that many workers were not in the office because they had traveled for different programme in their respective villages in spite of the fuel scarcity .

    ‘’As you can see this is not what the secretariat used to be; it used to be a beehive of activities.

    “As you can see most of the offices are locked because many people have traveled despite the fuel scarcity.

    ‘’I am in the office because I need to be here; I am not on leave, the public holiday is over. I came because it is my duty as a member staff to be in the office.’’

    Also Mr Femi Adewole, from Office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, said though workers were yet to resume fully, he expressed optimism that workers will resume fully by New Year.

    “The office is not that full because a lot of people who traveled must have been stranded due to scarcity of fuel; I guess by January people would have returned and will resume work.

    ‘Personally, I have to be in the office even though there is no work for me to do; it is necessary I report to the office even if it means me sitting down in the office doing nothing.’’

    Similarly Mrs Chinwe Osita, a civil servant said that the fuel scarcity was a major hindrance for some workers.

    “It was difficult for me to come to the office today, transport fare has doubled. Before now I used to pay N100 from Mararaba axis to town, now the fare is N200.

    ‘’This means I have to spend nothing less than N500 when you include my bike fare to and fro the bus stop.

    “By January many people would have returned and work will resume fully.’’

  • Firms not paying workers’ gratuities, says ASSBIFI

    Firms not paying workers’ gratuities, says ASSBIFI

    Many organisations are not paying workers’’ gratuities, the Associa-tion of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has alleged.

    Speaking with The Nation, its President, Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye, said: “We realised that the management of organisations are not paying our members at the end of their service. What belongs to workers, which is the gratuity, the majority of organisations are no longer paying it.”

    Ms Olasanoye said this was what informed ASSBIFE’s proposal on “Loss of job insurance” for members.

    She said the association realised that when its members were asked to go, nothing was given to them.

    She, however, said the union would continue to advise members on the need to allow it to be more involved in decisions concerning their welfare and to properly brief them on such matters. She added t the management  should not sack without resource to due process.

    On the sack of workers in financial institutions, she said the law was clear on it. Olasanoye said under the law, when an organisation wishes to lay off a worker, the union should be called in for negotiation.

    She said: “The law didn’t say you can’t lay people off, but there are ways of doing it. We have been appealing to our members that they should not wait until they are laid off. The moment they hear the rumour that they are about to be laid off, they should write their management to that effect and brief us on who to discuss with.”

    Ms Olasanoye, however, said the union would continue to appeal to its members and management of their companies and employers that the  meltdown is one that needs everyone’s hands to be on deck.

    “We also want to appeal to them that they should let us work together because our sector is a very sensitive and with the meltdown, we can’t afford to have issues that will affect the public trust on the sector that is already affected by various policies that are not acceptable to the people. We will appeal to the management to let us discuss and go through due process,” she added.

  • NAMA chief advises workers on revenue collection

    NAMA chief advises workers on revenue collection

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Managing Director, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, has urged workers to come up with ideas that will correct imperfections in the agency’s revenue collection system.

    He said this would boost the revenue base of the agency.

    NAMA runs a ‘Pay As You Go’ system for its revenue collection for airlines and others.

    In an interview in Lagos, Akinkuotu said the workers should operate a transparent platform  through proper issuance of invoices for settlement of charges.

    According to him, the agency’s budget estimates can only be actualised through diligent processing of returns by the Commercial Department personnel.

    Akinkuotu said the NAMA had created a forum for learning where workers would be equipped with latest trends on revenue collection.

    He said if workers in the commercial department use the revenue platform to share their experiences, it would enable them come up with more efficient ways of harnessing the agency’s resources.

    Meanwhile, NAMA has assured airlines and stakeholders on the provision of uninterrupted air navigation throughout the Yuletide.

    The agency said the country’s navigational facilities were working at optimal levels, with precision approach landing aids at the five international airports.

    Akinkuotu said the agency recognizes that apart from the adverse weather associated with festive seasons, there is huge demand for air traffic services, requiring the agency to strengthen its technical and operational capacity.

    Besides, these measures, new Very High Frequency (VHF) communication radios have been installed across the country to reduce congestion while the installation of Instrument Landing System/Distance Measuring Equipment (ILS/DME) is ongoing in Lagos and Kano airports.

    The NAMA boss said Airspace Managers at airports have been directed to embark on measures to strengthen Air Traffic Management and surveillance systems in their respective domains to ensure maximum operational safety during the season.

  • Workers, FHA management disagree over promotion, staff welfare

    Workers, FHA management disagree over promotion, staff welfare

    Staff of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) under the auspices if the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies has began a three day warning strike over what they described as refusal of the management of the establishment to effect the promotion of deserving workers since 2011 and implementing policies that are anti workers.

    But the management of the establishment said there was no basis for the strike action as the demands by the workers have been largely met, while the remaining potion of their demand require ministerial approval which it is waiting to secure.

    Addressing newsmen at the commencement of the action in Abuja, General Secretary of the Union, Comrade Ayo Olorunfemi said the workers had no other choice but to embark on the warning strike after series of notices to the management without sincere response.

    He accused the management of refusing to conduct promotion exercise since 2011 for deserving officers, adding that a lot of officers of the agency who retired from service have been  because of the stagnation created in the system.

    The union also accused government of deliberately denying workers in the agency from rising above certain level, while using allocating positions that should be occupied by career civil servants to political appointees, pointing out that retired workers of the agency have been employed to fill positions that should be occupied by those in service.

    They also accused the management of non payment of outstanding housing allowances to staff on grade levels 14 and above, refusal to remit statutory deductions from the salary of staff to the National Health Insurance Scheme and the National Housing Fund thereby denying them access to health care and housing.

    He also said that the management of the agency has also not remitted tax deductions from workers salaries to the appropriate agency of government thereby denying them tax clearance.

    Reacting to the allegations, Managing Director of the FHA, Prof. Mohammed Al-Amin said the agency has set in motion machinery to ensure that the position of a General Manager is occupied by civil servants and not political appointees.

    He explained that the reposition of the agency before his assumption of office removed it from government budget and slated it for privatization, adding that on assumption of office, he advices the government against outright sale of the place.

  • Food and beverage workers begin indefinite strike

    Food and beverage workers begin indefinite strike

    Sequel to their protest last week over the refusal of their employers to review the expired bi-yearly collective agreement on salaries and fringe benefits, the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) has begun  an indefinite strike.

    A meeting was held on  December 8 between members of FOBTOB and their employers, Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), to reconcile.

    FOBTOB had earlier called for the upward  review of their salary by 20 per cent as against the current 14 per cent, which, according to them, is the lowest rate in the past 17 years.

    In a statement signed by FOBTOB National President Comrade Quadri Olaleye, the union said: “With the majority of our employers being multinationals such as Flour Mills of Nigeria, Guinness Nigeria Plc, A & P Pladis Foods, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Ajinomoto, Deli Foods, Dangote Industries, Nestle, Cadbury Nigeria, Dufil Prima Indomie, among others, it is unacceptable to us that they continue to discriminate against our members in the payment of salaries and fringe benefits after having met their targets and remained profitable.

    “It is on record that throughout our industry, all other cadres have in the past months enjoyed a review in their salaries and fringe benefits while the Senior Staff and Managers have been tactically abandoned.

    “To this effect, we are calling all our members nationwide to embark on a national strike action to compel the AFBTE to reach an equally acceptable agreement from December 11, 2017 as from 12am prompt.”

    Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has condemned outrightly AFBTE  members’ decision to deny a reasonable increment of 20 per cent in the ongoing negotiation between the employers’ body and FOBTOB members at the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC).

    The congress in a statement by its President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, was worried that this long overdue increment cum benefit, which is clearly affordable within the industry and has in fact, already been awarded to the junior staff could now be allowed to degenerate into a nationwide strike at this critical festive period when products of the industry would be in higher demand.

    He said: “Increasing the wages of the junior staff to the extent that they (junior staff) now prefer not to be promoted to management level for us is a deliberate attempt to spite our members and it further speaks volume of the injustice in the system.

    “We are equally concerned about the posture of the representatives of the employers at the NJIC negotiations. It appears the NJIC was deliberately constituted to spite the senior staff. Any act to diminish the dignity of our members is unacceptable.”

  • Health professionals, workers protest against ministry’s leadership

    Health professionals, workers protest against ministry’s leadership

    THE Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Health Care Professionals (JOHESU/AHPA) have passed a vote of no confidence in the leadership of the Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole.

    The group prayed the Federal Government to restructure appointments at the ministry to balance the interest of the cadres of health professionals.

    According to JOHESU/AHPA, the body language of both the FMoH headed by Prof. Adewole and that of Minister of Labour and Employment has revealed their unwillingness to solve the problems inherent in giving other professionals in the health sector a sense of fairness and justice in the scheme of things.

    The body said the main reason for this is that the two ministers in charge of Ministry of Health were picked from the same profession.

    Dr. Osagie Ehanire is the Minister of State for Health and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, is a renowned medical practitioner, whose ministry arbitrates all trade disputes, including those from the health sector.

    JOHESU/AHPA noted that their members’ situation is further worsened by the appointment of the Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. (Mrs.) Amina Shamaki, who is also a medical doctor.

    In a statement made available to The Nation, the group said Prof. Adewole and his NMA colleagues have become the most formidable stumbling blocks to the career advancement plans of health professionals, especially as it affects the consultancy cadre.

    According to the unions, the composition of the leadership of the Ministry of Health has affected welfare of health professionals and workers.

    The workers mentioned the alleged assault of JOHESU leaders at Irua Specialists Hospital, Irua, Edo State by a medical doctor, who is the chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital. It was alleged that he slapped the hospital’s branch Chairman of JOHESU against the existing Public Service Rules, adding that the case and others have not been redressed.