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Tag: NLC President

  • TUC slams FG over ‘unjust’ arrest of NLC president, Ajaero

    TUC slams FG over ‘unjust’ arrest of NLC president, Ajaero

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has slammed the Federal Government over the arrest of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero.

    Recall Ajaero was arrested and detained by officers from the Department of State Services on Monday on his way to the United Kingdom.

    In a statement signed by its President, Festus Osifo, on Monday, the TUC said the arrest of the NLC President is unjust action that represents a clear violation of the rights to freedom of association and expression, fundamental pillars in any democratic society.

    Congress, firmly condemns the arrest and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

    “This arrest sets a dangerous precedence that threatens not only the leadership of the Nigerian labour movement but also the voices of millions of working-class Nigerians who rely on unions to represent and protect their interests.

    “It is imperative that the government respects the rule of law, democratic norms, and the legitimate rights of workers and their representatives. The labour movement has always stood for peaceful negotiations.

    “We, therefore, urge the Nigerian government to prioritize dialogue and reconciliation over harassment. We stand in solidarity with the NLC and reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights and dignity of Nigerian workers.”

  • President Buhari will not approve 65-year workers’ retirement age – Keyamo

    President Buhari will not approve 65-year workers’ retirement age – Keyamo

    The Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, has said that outgoing president, Buhari will not approve the newly proposed 65-year retirement age for Nigerian workers.

    Keyamo made this known in an interview with pressmen on Monday in Abuja.

    Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, through its National President, Joe Ajaero, during the 2023 Workers’ Day celebrations in Abuja called on the government to increase the retirement age for civil servants in the country from 60  to 65 years.

    Ajaero had also called for a general review of core civil servants’ salaries to narrow the gap between other civil servants’ emoluments and those in other segments of the public service, saying the extension of years of service should go around as it was being done in other sectors of the public service in the country.

    “We are, therefore, demanding that the age of retirement and length of service in the entire public service, including the civil service, be reviewed upward to 65 years of age and 40 years of service, ” he had said.

    But Keyamo told pressmen that an increase in service years will be the call of the next administration.

    “The process to effect that change to 65 years (if it is accepted by the Federal Government) is a process that cannot be completed before the end of the tenure of Buhari.  So, I guess the new administration will have to deal with that,” the minister stated.

  • How economic violence in Nigeria enslaves women – NLC President

    How economic violence in Nigeria enslaves women – NLC President

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Saturday bemoaned the harassment of women in the workplace, saying it was suicidal for Nigeria’s development.

    It argued that such economic violence makes women and girls remain economically dependent on men by preventing them from gainful employment.

    NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, stated these at Labour House, Abuja during the public presentation of a Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) participatory research report.

    Wabba maintained that the ratification of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 190 by the Federal Government, was the only solution to eradicate such inhumane treatment.

    The labour leader said: “The perversity of gender-based violence is that it is mostly an attack against one of the most vulnerable segments of our population — women. Gender-based violence and harassment thus disproportionately affect women and girls.

    “For a country that already suffers from a huge gap between opportunities for males and females, it would be developmentally suicidal to allow gender-based violence steal the few available opportunities for our women to thrive and contribute to the development of society.”

    According to him, organised labour understands the challenges of institutionalising gender rights in the country including the right to freedom from gender-based violence given a domineering culture of patriarchy in Nigerian society.

    The NLC boss urged Nigerians to continue to promote the importance of a work culture based on mutual respect and the dignity of the human being as a first-line defence and precaution against violence and harassment.

    He added, ”It also very important to emphasise economic violence which makes women and girls remain economically dependent on men by preventing them from gainful employment and if they are working, forcing them to hand over their earnings to the men and most times the men dictate the type of work to be done by women, and also control the income as well as resources owned by women.

    ”This is the reason we must all join hands to eliminate poverty in our country, including working poverty. This is the reason we must promote social and industrial instruments such as the national minimum wage which seeks to emplace a minimal buffer against poverty.”

    On her part, the Chairperson of NLC National Women Commission, Hajiya Salamatu Aliyu, described as worrisome, Nigeria’s refusal to ratify ILO C190, saying GBVH was adequately covered in international labour standards and treaties.

    She listed Argentina, Ecuador, Fiji, Namibia, Somalia, Uruguay and Mauritius as seven countries that have ratified ILO C190.

    She said, ”The report being launched today is a milestone achievement in our struggle towards promoting the right of every person to work based on dignity and respect free from any form of violence and harassment.”

  • Why Nigerian workers should take COVID-19 vaccine – NLC President

    Why Nigerian workers should take COVID-19 vaccine – NLC President

    The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba on Monday asked workers across the country to take the COVID-19 vaccine for a chance to stay alive.

    Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, Wabba appealed to workers to take advantage of vaccination provisions made by the Federal Government, in order to reduce hospitalisations and fatalities among workers.

    According to him, while health issues need to be approached with great caution, it would be foolhardy to undermine the protective powers of vaccines against the virus.

    “The truth is that despite being imperfect, the COVID-19 vaccine has given all of us a better chance of fighting the virus and staying alive,” he said.

    “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought some of the biggest strains, stress and squeeze to the workplace. Thousands of workers have already died. In fact, just last week, the World Health Organisation posited that as of the third week of October, we have lost about 180,000 frontline health workers.

    “I understand some people prefer to view COVID-19 vaccination with caution. Yes, it is important to proceed on issues of public health with great caution. Yet, it would be foolhardy to elevate caution above scientific evidence and facts from public health records.

    “I urge workers all over the world to take advantage of the COVID-19 vaccines and keep themselves, their families and their colleagues at work safe and free from the morbid threats of the corona pandemic.”

    The NLC President’s appeal follows the recent directive of the Federal Government that civil servants who refuse to be vaccinated will need to show test results, confirming that they are negative before they can access public offices, beginning from December 1.

     

  • Strike: FG invites Kaduna Governor, NLC President for reconciliation talks

    Strike: FG invites Kaduna Governor, NLC President for reconciliation talks

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige on Wednesday waded into the ongoing face-off between the Kaduna State government and labour unions by inviting both parties to a reconciliation meeting.

    The meeting is scheduled to hold by 11 am on Thursday, May 20, 2021, at the office of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Federal Secretariat, Abuja.

    Those invited for the meeting include the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El Rufai and top officials of the State; as well as the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba and top NLC leaders to an emergency conciliation meeting.

    This was disclosed by the Charles Akpan, the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    The Minister further directed the two parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the resolution of the issues in contention.

    The letter separately addressed to both the Governor of Kaduna State and the President of the NLC reads in part:

    “Sequel to the strike prompted by the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) one of the federations of Trade Unions in Nigeria, and the subsequent withdrawal of work and services in almost all public sector establishments and institutions in Kaduna State, including but not limited to the essential services in electricity, water and health, which has consequently resulted and inflicted huge damage and loss to the economy and well-being and even loss of lives to the people of Kaduna State in the last three days.

    “I am therefore constrained in the exercise of my powers as the Minister of Labour and Employment, under the Trade Disputes Act, CAP. T8, Laws of Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004; to invite you and your top officials to the emergency trade dispute conciliation meeting.”

    The letter emphasized further, “between the transition period for the meeting, you are please requested to maintain the status quo ante bellum this dispute so that the enabling climate for the resolution of the issues in dispute will not be hindered by the creation of new issues.”

    The Minister’s intervention comes three days after the NLC started a protest following the disengagement of over seven thousand civil servants at the state and local governments by the Kaduna State government.

    The strike has paralysed critical sectors of the economy in the state and the state governor Nasir El-Rufai in reaction declared the NLC Chairman and other leaders wanted for economic sabotage and attacks on public infrastructure in Kaduna State under the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

  • El-Rufai roars again: We’ll dismiss Nurses below GL 14 that joined strike; arrest, prosecute NLC President, Wabba

    El-Rufai roars again: We’ll dismiss Nurses below GL 14 that joined strike; arrest, prosecute NLC President, Wabba

    Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has vowed to dismiss nurses of Barau Dikko Specialist hospital and others in public hospitals below Grade Level 14 that joined the ongoing statewide shut down by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

    In statement signed by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai expressed sadness over allegations that some nurses disconnected the oxygen of an incubator hosting a premature baby at the Barua Dikko Specialist Hospital.

    The governor insisted that the ongoing shutdown is economic sabotage and criminal.

    The statement reads in part: “Today, the Kaduna State Government reviewed the sundry criminal actions that have defined the campaign of economic and social sabotage and lawlessness waged by the NLC.

    KDSG considers as unacceptable the serial violations of the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Trade Union Act that have occurred over the last two days. The state government commends citizens for remaining calm amidst this assault on their rights and comfort and their businesses.

    However, KDSG cannot be expected to tolerate the brazen shutdown of electricity, attack on public infrastructure and buildings, locking up hospitals and forcefully discharging patients, unlawful trespass into public facilities and the wanton use of coercion and restraints of personal freedom by the NLC.

    Efforts to dress up criminal activity as industrial action do not change the reality of the lawbreaking that has unfolded, including their persistently ignoring the prohibition against impeding essential services. Also, KDSG cannot ignore the illegal pressures brought to disrupt the operations of banks and other private business whose staff and customers do not have any industrial dispute with the state or any other government.

    KDSG acknowledges doctors and some other categories of health workers that are trying to run public health facilities, but regrets that some nurses have joined the unlawful strike and engaged in sabotage of some of our health facilities. Nurses were implicated in the forceful discharge of patients in many health facilities.

    Reports from Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital disclosed that some identified nurses disconnected the oxygen supply of a two-day old baby in an incubator on Monday, 17th May 2021. The names of the three nurses from the Special Baby Care Unit (SBCU) who were involved in this despicable act have been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for attempted murder or murder in the event we lose the baby.

    In addition, KDSG has decided the following:
    1. Ayuba Wabba and his senior confederates in the NLC are declared wanted, and will be vigorously prosecuted for violations of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, the Miscellaneous Offences and the Trade Dispute (Essential Services) Acts. They are advised to report to the Ministry of Justice and the Police Headquarters to take their statements;

    2. The Ministry of Health will dismiss all nurses below GL 14 for going on an unlawful strike. Salaries that could have gone to them are to be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the health workers who are at their duty posts to fill the gap of those absconding from duty. The Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those dismissed;

    3. Any academic staff of KASU that does not report for work will be dismissed. The authorities of KASU are to submit a copy of the attendance register for all categories of staff daily to the Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of Education;

    4. All MDAs are also to submit daily copies of attendance register to the Head of Service;

    KDSG views the actions of the NLC as equivalent to the actions of the bandits kidnapping and menacing our citizens. Bandits illegally use arms, but the NLC is deploying mob action for exactly the same ends: trying to hold hostage the freedoms, economic interests, livelihoods and resources of the people of Kaduna State. It is a vain expectation that this government will respond differently to sets of unlawful actions that have the same ends.

    KDSG will not submit its treasury to the entitled minority. We will reform and rightsize our public service to meet the needs and resources of the Kaduna State even if the NLC strikes ad infinitum. The government remains committed to using all the resources it can generate to serve the interests of the majority of its citizens, providing social services beyond paying salaries, always putting the interests of the many ahead of the few.

  • I’ll declare nationwide protests if Governors borrow from pension funds – NLC President

    I’ll declare nationwide protests if Governors borrow from pension funds – NLC President

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned state governors to stay away from pension funds or face massive protests.

    The warning came in a bit to stop state governors from borrowing N17 trillion from the pension funds purportedly for infrastructural development.

    The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, insisted that the governors have no authority over the funds.

    He made this known while speaking at the 47th National Executive Council meeting of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, in Abuja on Thursday.

    The Nigerian Governors Forum had last week endorsed the proposal of the Chairman of the National Economic Council Ad hoc Committee, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, to borrow N17trn from the pension funds for infrastructural development.

    But reacting to the proposal, Ayuba said, “The pension is not for borrowing, pension money is the retirement savings of workers, it cannot be borrowed. It’s like money in your savings account that nobody can borrow.

    “You must go through the bank and in this case, you must go through the PFAs and their guidelines; even the guidelines they want to play down but to the glory of God, the board of Pencom commission has been constituted

    “I stand here to represent all of you (workers), we are not going to agree; less than 5 percent of the states are keying into the contributory pension, yet they want to borrow the money. The bulk of the money is from the federal government workers and private-sector workers; so how do you want to borrow from where you have not sown?”

    Ayuba also noted that over 18 state governments were delaying the implementation of the new national minimum wage.

    He added that it was unheard of that the same governments would want to borrow the workers’ pension.

    “It’s not free money, and let me sound a bit of warning: any day that we hear the pension fund, our money has been borrowed, I will declare a protest and everybody is going to be on the street to protect our hard-earned money.

    “The money belongs to workers, we contribute that money so that when we retire, we can have something for retirement, so they have no say whatsoever; both the principal and the capital belong to us,” he said.

    Commenting on the fuel pump price, Wabba argued that it should not be determined by the market forces “whose sole aim was targeted at making profits even at the detriment of the masses.”

    He noted, “Anything you leave to market forces, citizens will suffer because the primary focus of governance is actually to defend the interest and welfare of our workers and even the citizens and therefore when you leave it to market forces, it is then about profit.”

    The National President, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Biobelemoye Josiah, condemned the Federal Government’s alleged involvement in scuttling strike actions through the use of some non-governmental organisations, stressing that workers have the right to embark on industrial actions to drive home their demands.

    He said, “In a plethora of cases, the courts have affirmed the right of the workers to embark on strike. Strike is a legitimate weapon available to the trade unions to ventilate their grievances, especially when the provision in section 41 of the Trade Dispute Act bordering on the number of days has been compiled with.

    “I would, therefore, appeal to the Federal Government to enrich our industrial relations practice through the interplay of the relationship between the management (Government) and the workers (Trade Unions) rather than scuttling the relationship through a third party interloper represented by the NGOs.”