The Nigeria Labour Congress has directed all its members and affiliate unions to commence a nationwide strike today Thursday 27th September 2018.
The organised labour had held a meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in Abuja on Wednesday, which did not produce the expected outcome.
The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said the industrial action would commence due to the refusal of the Federal Government to reconvene the meeting of the tripartite national minimum wage committee to enable it to conclude its work.
He said,
“In compliance with this mandate, all workers and private sector at all levels across the country have been directed to comply.
“All public and private institutions, offices, banks, schools, public and private business premises, including filling station, are to remain shut till further notice,” Wabba said at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
The workers are demanding a new minimum wage of about N50,000 from the current national minimum wage of N18,000.
However, Ngige told journalists after a meeting with labour leaders that the tripartite committee on national minimum wage would resume negotiations on October 4.
“We are resuming precisely on Thursday, October 4, and the meeting can spill over to October 5. All the processes have been put in place and labour leaders know; they are now expected to communicate such to their organs; so we don’t have any need for a strike,” he said.
Asked if the government team had concluded its consultation on the minimum wage with governors, Ngige said it would be done when the tripartite committee resumed, adding that the government was still consulting with other stakeholders.
He said,
“Part of our consultation means the economic management team would have something to work on. Already, they are working on it, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission is working on it and it is expected that before the October meeting, they would have been through with work.”
Ngige said a bill would still have to go through the National Assembly after approval by the Federal Executive Council.
But Wabba said the unions had to brief their organs before calling off the strike.
He said,
“Our demand is that the tripartite negotiating council should be brought back to complete its assignment. He has given us an update and we are taking back the discussion we had with him.”
But the NLC Secretary-General, Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, told one of our correspondents that the strike would proceed as planned,
He asked, “Have we said anything to the contrary?”
In another News, The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria said it would join the strike as long as its labour centre – the Trade Union Congress – was involved.
The spokesman for the organisation, Mr Babatunde Oke, said,
“We are going to be part of it. As long as our labour centre is involved, we are also involved. We are going to take part in the strike if TUC so directs us.”
Also, the national leadership of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria directed its members to join the warning strike.
The President of JUSUN, Mr Marwan Adamu, said in a statement on Wednesday that “effective from midnight on Wednesday” all courts in the country must remain closed pending a counter instruction from the national secretariat of the union.”
On its part, the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union said that it would embark on the warning strike in solidarity with the NLC.
The COEASU National President, Nuhu Ogirima, said,
“The academic union will join the strike because it has become evident that dialogue and diplomacy would not make the government change its stance.
He said,
“It is also expedient to take this action against the crass insensitivity of governments at both state and federal levels to the plight of the colleges of education.”
ASUU NEWS - But the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said it would consult with its leadership and trustees before joining the strike.
The ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Wednesday that he could not decide without an approval from the ASUU executives and trustees.
Ogunyemi said,
“We are part of the NLC. We are an affiliate of the NLC. But we are waiting for the final decision and we are consulting. I am also consulting with the ASUU leadership.”
But the Owerri Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof Uzo Onyebinama, during a press conference at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, on Wednesday said the union might join the strike.
In Abia State, the Chairman of the NLC, Chief Uchenna Obigwe directed federal and state government workers in the state to comply with the directive to embark on the strike.
Obigwe, while briefing journalists in Umuahia, said the NLC viewed the silence of the Federal Government to its demand for a new minimum wage as sabotage.
Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has warned that the nation’s economy would be negatively affected by the strike, urging the NLC and the Federal Government to consider the national interests.
The SERAP Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said;
“In Nigeria, strikes are not an option; a strike will stop the economy and further impoverish Nigerians. What I seek is that the government should settle the minimum wage issue so that our economy can continue to operate at a full speed.
“The NLC should also consider the interests of the workers and of the nation and resolve this issue quickly.”
The Administrative Panel of Enquiry, which probed the N6.2 billion scam at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) on Wednesday submitted its report to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
Ishaya Awotu, the chairman of the panel, said that there were irregular allowances totalling N5.7 billion paid to staff and management.
“These allowances were paid without the approval of the National Salary, Incomes and Wages Commission.’
Some of the allowances were Management Staff Allowance, Staff Education Allowance, DSTV Subscription Allowance, and Dressing Allowance.
The others were generator and motor vehicle fuelling allowance which were not provided for in the Condition of Service of the fund.
He said the panel observed that between 2013 and 2017, the internal audit department of the NSITF did not audit the cash books of the various bank accounts at the headquarters.
The chairman also explained that the lack of effective auditing of the fund’s accounts and records violates section 1701 of the Financial Regulations.
“There were several transfers of funds in bank accounts without authorisation and approvals.
“The sum of N15, 737,757,697.91. was transferred from one account to another.
“Evidences to show the approvals and payment vouchers authorising the transfers were not presented to the panel.
“The panel observed that N2.9 billion was expended on computerisation and other related lCT equipment.
“Despite this expenditure, not much was achieved on computerisation of the fund, defeating the purpose of the expenditure,” he said.
He, however, added that the sum of N2,650,731,225.93 was deducted from various payments.
He noted that this was in respect of Withholding Tax, Pay-As-You-Earn (PAVE), Value Added Tax, Pension and National Housing Fund, which were not remitted to the relevant authorities.
Mr Ngige said another committee would be set up to implement the report of the committee.
According to him, anyone indicted will be prosecuted.
“This is not my report, but a report of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Those findings, especially about overseas trips which were unauthorised will be dealt with.
“Because they are actions that breached public service rules. It is not true that parastatals are exempted from public service rules.
“This report will be fully implemented and areas of lapses corrected. Many government organisations have gone under because of situations like this,” he said.
The minister inaugurated the panel on February 15, to probe the affairs of NSITF.
The Federal Government has increased maternity leave for women from 12 weeks to 16. The government also advised women to seek legal action against discrimination and abuses at workplace.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said this when he addressed a plenary session at the ongoing 107th International Labour Conference holding in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday.
The theme of the conference is “A Future With Decent Work.”
Ngige had noted that in public service, Nigeria recently increased the period for maternity leave from 12 to 16 weeks “to allow enough recuperation time for both baby and mother in terms of breastfeeding.”
He added that all disciplinary proceedings against any female member of staff which may have been taken during period of her maternity leave shall be put in abeyance till the expiration of the leave.
“Employers of labor are also barred from the removal of women from work due to their marital status.
“Illegal labor migration, contract staffing and labor casualization which affects most women are being reformed through policies and regulations at national, bilateral and multilateral levels.
Ngige said that the promotion of youths and women employment and enhancement of the status of women at workplace had continued to be a challenge in the society over the last decade.
According to him, the most effective method of eliminating gender inequality from the workplace lies in vigorous opposition to employers’ discriminatory conducts, policies and harassment in all forms whenever they occur.
“Women who fall victims to these abuses are encouraged to oppose such through legal actions as well as report to labor inspectors,’’ he said.
He stressed the need to put in place appropriate legislation, policies and practices to deal with the gender gaps which inhibit the greater participation of women in the labor force.
According to him, the injection of punitive measures and sanctions into Labour Inspection Guide, Law and Code of practice, can serve as a future deterrent.
The minister assured that the Nigerian government was committed to promoting youths and women employment as well as enhance the status of women at workplace.
Ngige said this had been exacerbated by economic recession brought about by fall in oil price, and militancy in some parts of the country.
“This is especially in the North-East, and the issue of returnee migrants, majority of whom are women and young girls trafficked for slavery and sex work.
“For a country in which females constitute 49. 4 per cent of the total population of over 190 million, it is therefore, imperative that the issues which hinder increased and effective women participation in the labour force be properly addressed,’’ he said.
He said that the government drew up and had been implementing an Economic Recovery and Growth Plan aimed at addressing gender inequality and youths unemployment
Ngige said Nigeria had also initiated a School-to-Work (N-Power) programme, designed to empower young women and men with skills to facilitate their entry into the labour market.
The programme, he said, had an initial two years’ span.
The minister, however, noted that Nigerian government had taken some specific measures to address inequality and had recorded some successes.
According to him, some of the successes reordered are the principle of equal pay for equal work for all, without discrimination on account of sex.
This, he added, was enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.
He also said that employers of labor in both the public and private sectors were by regulations requested to provide workplace crèches for nursing mothers for ease at workplace.
He called for technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the area of gender audits.
When Dr. Tony Nwoye was introduced to the party members after the primaries at Finotel hotel, he presented a practicable bottom-top- approach to win the election -that I believe, was the best strategy out there that will keep the real voters in view at all time while ignoring the crowd. That plan was abandoned and never implemented, it became a chance we missed and one of the reason why we didn’t win the election.
Our campaign was probably one of the most uncoordinated campaign – with a very poor organizational structure- the chain of command was hardly identifiable and issues became clogged up. We couldn’t identify problems and hardly tackled any. There was simply no feedback mechanism. BestWestern Meloch hotels, Awka obscured the performance of the Udoka office.
We also failed to develop a penetrative media brand strategy for Dr. Tony Nwoye and was almost completely non existent in all media except social media. We neglected the media and our candidate received daily media hammering unchallenged in the print and electronic media. It’s no surprise that the candidate who invested more in the media won the election. We had young men who were ready to push the veteran journalist recruited by APGA off the ladder but we failed to utilize their potentials.
We also failed to properly evaluate the perception problem the APC had in SE and accommodate it in our campaign strategy, we just wished it away – most of the perception were ignorance bred and could have been tackled appropriately. The lack of a proper SWOT analysis became an albatross.
The belief that elections are won on the pooling units on election day cost us dearly. Unlike Dr. Tony Nwoye I know, we didn’t undertake a serious ward campaign in most wards and considering our peculiar perception in the state, waiting to do magic at the pooling unit was a disaster of a plan. Most electorates made up their mind on who to vote long before coming to the pooling unit
Our party structure and agents were not properly trained, and having been in the opposition for long had little or no motivation to campaign or poach voters. They simply waited to compensate their persistent suffering with election funds.
It’s also rumored that some high ranking members of the party in Abuja connived to limit the ability of our candidate to raise money within the APC caucus- this hindered our abilities to campaign efficiently as funding became a major problem. Due to the influence of these influential members at Abuja, our candidate received abysmal support in funding and in every other aspect from Abuja. They also ensured that the opposition controlled both INEC and the security agencies.
Lastly, most party stakeholders refused to converge their interest in the gubernatorial ambition of Dr. Tony Nwoye; they saw the emergence of Dr. Tony Nwoye as an end to their political career- that he will run them out of politics.
Despite being the chairman of the election committee, Ngige never showed up at the campaign office for a day, neither did he partake in any campaign with the candidate except in Alor his hometown. He raised no money for the campaign, rallied no stakeholder nor energized party members for the task at hand. He just did nothing.
Sen. Andy Ubah was no different as he couldn’t stomach the fact that his political son will rise above him in politics and claim what he has fought all his political life for- governor of Anambra state. Most of Sen. Andy Ubah loyalists also refused to participate in the election. Rather than see Tony succeed they became a stumbling block.
Governor Willie Obiano just received Nigeria's Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo to the Safest State in Nigeria "Anambra".
Both are currently attending the Funeral Mass for Late Mrs Roseline Ezinma Akabueze at St Gabriel's Catholic Church, Ifitedunu in Dunukofia local government area of Anambra State.
Late Mama Ezinma is the mother of Hon Ben Akabueze, DG Budget Office, Abuja.
Present here also are Sen Chris Ngige, Sen Uche Ekwunife and many other dignitaries comprising Ministers, Senators, members of House of Representatives, Security Heads, members of Anambra State Executive Council as well as Captains of Industry.
More exclusive pictures below ...
The office of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has reacted to news reports that he is now leading Federal Government negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, saying this is inaccurate, .
According to a statement signed by Laolu Akand, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President,
“media reports seemed to have misrepresented what Labor and Employment Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige meant when he spoke with reporters about the negotiations after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday.”
“The Vice President, as contained in the statement, had a discussion after FEC with both the Labour Minister and Education Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu around the issues, but has not taken over the negotiations as widely reported. Both Ministers will continue to lead the FG- ASUU talks.”
The Federal Government, according to the statement,
“continues to diligently pursue a prompt resolution of this dispute and is confident the matter would be resolved.”
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige has announced that the National Minimum Wage Committee on the government’s side had been constituted with four ministers as members.
Although he said the chairman had been nominated, Ngige said the nominee would only be unveiled after all members of the committee had been named.
He added that the government was still expecting nominees from the private sector. This is responsible for the delay in the announcement.
Ngige said, “The National Minimum Wage committee on the government’s side is ready.
“We have on the government’s side four ministers – ministers of Labour and Employment; Finance; and Budget and Planning. I can’t remember the last one now but we have our team ready.
“We also have the Head of Service of the Federation and the acting Secretary to the Government (of the Federation) on the government’s team. The chairman will be unveiled when we have full component of the committee.
“The aspect that is delaying us from inaugurating the committee is the organised private sector. The organised private sector has eight representatives of which Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association has four nominations; we have not got their nominations.
“The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has two nominations; its nominations just came in yesterday.
“Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises has one; it has not sent in its nomination.
‘‘The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industy, Mines and Agriculture has not sent in its nominations. So we are waiting for these nominations. ‘‘When they come in, the government will nominate the chairman and inaugurate the committee.”
Today the APC Anambra State held its Primaries, which would decide amongst its aspirants Barth Nwibe, Tony Nwoye, George Morghalu, etc. There was heavy security presence to checkmate any form of disorderliness and report here has it that some aspirants did come around but left immediately.
Accreditation took place inside Alex Ekwueme Square and officially ended around 5:30pm while delegate voting was held at the Women Development Centre. Both Hon. Chris Ngige and Gov. Bello Shettima were their to observe proceedings.
Sen Andy Ubah arrived acknowledging cheers from some delegates who are seated already in preparation for accreditation. Rumour making the rounds today has it that Andy may have bought the delegates over with superior financial muscle.
Hon. Uche Ekwunife was also spotted at the venue. She is believed to deputize whoever emerges the APC flag-bearer in today's primary.
There were alleged complaint about possible adulteration of the delegates list but the rumour wasn't concrete enough. The atmosphere is becoming tense and tense as the time ticks as we await the winner..
Colossus Gists will soon announce who emerge winner
More photos below
More details later...
Photo Credit
Anambra Blog
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
