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Tag: Strike

  • BREAKING: Judicial workers suspend two-month strike

    BREAKING: Judicial workers suspend two-month strike

    The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has resolved to suspend its over two-month strike, effective from Monday.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG gathered that JUSUN took the decision at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting which just ended in Abuja.

    The National Judicial Council (NJC) had, at a meeting with JUSUN leaders on Tuesday, with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad in attendance, urged the striking court workers to put an end to the industrial action in the interest of the country and the suffering court users.

  • Resident doctors extend strike ultimatum by 2 weeks for FG, States to act

    Resident doctors extend strike ultimatum by 2 weeks for FG, States to act

    The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has extended its strike ultimatum by two weeks to let the Federal and State governments to address the issues of welfare of their members across the country.

    The extension is contained in a communiqué at the end of the association’s 41st Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) which held in Nnewi/Awka, Anambra, between May 25 and May 29.

    The communiqué was release by Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, National President of NARD, in the company of other members of the executive.

    It said that the association would resume a total strike action if its demands remained unattended to at the end of the period.

    It said that the strike was suspended following government’s promises as entailed in the Memorandum of Actions, signed at the instance of Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, on April 9.

    It said that the delays in payment of members on the GIFMIS platform for over four months had caused hardships for NARD members and urged the Federal Government to expedite action toward migrating members to IPPIS.

    NARD also expressed concerns about the conditions of their members in Abia and Imo who were currently owed salary arreas of 21 and seven months, respectively.

    “While the OGM notes the willingness of government to migrate members from the GIFMIS to the IPPIS platform, we decry the lackluster behaviour exhibited by heads of government parastatal agencies to achieving this.

    “Our members are still in agony because of these delays and some House Officers are still being owed up to two months salaries.

    “The OGM notes with dismay, the stale attitude of the Governors of Abia and Imo states and their appointees toward addressing the issues of payment of salaries for 21 months and seven months respectively.”

    NARD said that the national minimum wage consequential adjustment and salary shortfalls had not been paid and directed Chief Medical Directors to submit lists of affected institutions and personnel strength.

    The OGM frowned at the delay by Federal Government in sorting out the irregularities, following the payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) 2020.

    “We note that teaching hospitals are grossly understaffed, and this is necessitated by the ongoing deadly brain drain killing the nation’s health care system.

    “After extensive deliberations on all the issues affecting the welfare of our members and insincerity of government in fulfilling their promises, the OGM unanimously resolved that our ultimatum be extended by two weeks.

    “This will further give the Federal Government more time to resolve all issues, failure of which the association shall resume the suspended total and indefinite strike action, after critical appraisal in an emergency meeting.

    “We are unequivocal in assuring members of the public that the NARD is committed to the smooth running of the health sector.

    “However, we can only do so when our welfare is given the desired attention,” it added.

  • ASUU joins NLC warning strike in Kaduna State

    ASUU joins NLC warning strike in Kaduna State

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kaduna State University Chapter, has directed its members to join the ongoing warning strike by public sector workers in Kaduna State.

    The ASUU Chairperson, Dr Peter Adamu gave the directive in a circular to the members of the union, issued in Kaduna on Monday.

    Adamu said: “I am directed by the National Secretariat of our great union through the Zonal office Kano, for members to join the warning strike.

    “Members should remember that ASUU is an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the principal officers of ASUU were part of the NLC National Executive Council that took the decision on the strike action.

    “Also, members that violate the strike action must note that the union will not be there for them when the wrath of the governor falls on them.

    “We must unite for a just cause because injury to one is injury to all.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NLC National President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said at the five-day strike action that it would run its full course unless the state government attended to the workers grievances.

    Some of the grievances included the recent sack of 7,000 local government workers and refusal of the state government to settle the entitlements of about 50, 000 it disengaged from service from 2017 to date.

    Government activities in the state were completely paralised on the first day of the strike on Monday, with banks, schools, hospitals, water, electricity, rail and air services shut.

  • Resident doctors send letter of appreciation to Ngige for timely resolution of strike

    Resident doctors send letter of appreciation to Ngige for timely resolution of strike

    The leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has commended Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige for prompt resolution of the recent nationwide doctors’ strike.

    NARD, in a letter of appreciation to Ngige by its National President, Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, and Secretary-General, Dr Jerry Isogun, commended the Minister for his role as a conciliator, which made the Federal Government to acknowledge their plights and request on time to solve them

    The letter reads: “On behalf of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), we write to express our sincere gratitude for your role in resolving the issues of agitation amongst our members.

    “We also commend you for your outstanding leadership qualities, which have resulted in the timely solutions to the lingering issues in the Health Sector. We are deeply humbled by your steadfastness, especially as it concerns resident doctors.

     

    “Your role as the Chief conciliator is evident as the Federal Government has acknowledged our plights and requested for time to solve them. You are indeed a medical elder of repute. Accept Sir, the assurances of our highest regards.”

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the doctors had on April 1 commenced nationwide strike that grounded health facilities nationwide for 10 days.

    The strike was suspended on April 11.

  • Uber, Bolt drivers threaten strike on Monday

    Uber, Bolt drivers threaten strike on Monday

    Some Uber and Bolt e-cab drivers in Lagos on Saturday asked the e-hailing companies to immediately increase fares being charged by the operators, failing which they would go off the roads on Monday.

    The e-cab operators, under the aegis of Professional E-hailing Drivers and Private Owners Association (PEDPA), threatened to embark on the strike if their demands were not met.

    Mr Idris Shonuga, National President of PEDPA, at a news conference in Lagos, called for immediate upward review of e-cab fares to reflect the current economic reality in the country.

    According to Shonuga, over 95 per cent of e-hailing transactions are consummated through Uber and Bolt platforms.

    He said that the companies had refused to review its pricing despite unprecedented increases in the price of fuel, vehicles spare parts, food items and other essential commodities in the country.

    “In a quest to work and harmoniously at resolving some issues, the association wrote several letters to the companies which was not attended to, showing nonchalant attitude towards our plight.

    “Your companies have failed, refused and neglected to honour our request for a meeting to discuss issues beneficial to all e-hailing drivers in Nigeria.

    “And to fashion a harmonious relationship that will benefit, dignify and improve the standard of living of e-hailing drivers, private car owners and the general standard of e-hailing business in the country.

    “Instead of fixing a new and reasonable fare in line with inflation, the companies have recklessly continued to maintain the low fare, thereby, impoverishing hard working young Nigerians who are diligently and lawfully trying to make a decent living,” Shonuga said.

    The e-cab operators also demanded adequate welfare package for drivers and compensation to the families of those that lost their lives or are permanently disabled in the line of duty,

    The association said that more than 15 drivers had lost their lives, while some had been permanently disabled in accidents in the course of the service.

    More than 20 others have also lost their lives through kidnapping or killed by ritualists without any compensation from the operators, the association said.

    Shonuga said that the association was considering taking legal action to seek remedies against the e-hailing companies if their demands were not met.

  • JUST IN: NAFDAC staff commence nationwide strike

    JUST IN: NAFDAC staff commence nationwide strike

    The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) branch of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced a seven-day warning strike on Thursday.

    A statement jointly signed by the Vice-Chairman of the union, Idzi Is and Public Relations Officer, Ejoor Michael, said the strike started in the early hours of Thursday.

    The union demanded immediate action to resolve the issues raised by the members.

    Among the grievances of the workers are non-payment of promotion arrears, non-review of job specific allowance, suspension of staff training and backlog of unpaid staff financial claims.

    Other grievances include the non-payment of severance package, poor work environment and lack of staff bus to ease transportation difficulties.

    In the statement, the union alleged that NAFDAC’s management is owing its members promotion arrears for 2018 and 2019.

    It said that the request for the payment of the arrears has lingered, hence the commencement of the strike.

    NAFDAC workers are also demanding an upward review of their job specific allowance in line with the approved new national minimum wage.

    According to them, the allowance has not been reviewed in the last 10 years.

    The union said that the allowances are usually reviewed upward correspondingly with increase in salary.

    “We are demanding for a review of the job specific allowance in line with the new national minimum wage,” it said.

    The staff further expressed dismay at the long delay in payment of staff financial claims.

    They deplored the suspension of payment of severance allowance to the retirees of the agency as approved by the Governing Council and in line with their conditions of service.

    In addition, the union accused the NAFDAC management of discriminatory disbursement of COVID-19 palliative with many of the staff not benefiting from the palliative.

  • JUST IN: Resident doctors call off 10-day-old strike

    JUST IN: Resident doctors call off 10-day-old strike

    The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called off the strike embarked on since April 1 by the medical doctors.

    The decision to end the strike followed an agreement reached with the government on Friday night.

    The strike was called off on Saturday evening after a virtual meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of NARD.

    President of NARD, Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, confirmed the decision of NARD to called off the strike, which has paralyses medical activities at the government hospitals across the country.

    The director/senior technical assistant to the minister of health, Dr Chris Isokpunwu, described the development as good news and explained that the decision to suspend the strike was the product of fruitful negotiations between the federal government and the resident doctors.

    However, Okhuaihesuyi explained that some of the doctors’ demands that were met include the abolishment of bench fee by House Officers, those on GIFMIS to be paid and integrated into Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPIS) in the next one week and a promise to work on salary shortfall for House Officers within 48 hours.

    He however said that the strike was only suspended for four weeks and that the doctors may resume the strike after four weeks if government fails to meet all their demands.

    According to him, doctors working in isolation centres will be resuming work today while others will resume on Monday.RD had embarked on an indefinite strike on April 1 after the expiration of the 60-day ultimatum given to the federal government to meet their demands.

  • Doctors speak on calling off strike today after fresh meeting with FG

    Doctors speak on calling off strike today after fresh meeting with FG

    The National Association of Resident Doctors has said it may call off its strike on Saturday (today) after meeting with federal government representatives in Abuja.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the meeting, which lasted for over six hours, sought to address area of concerns which led to the strike embarked upon by the doctors on April 1.

    NARD’s National President, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said the association is satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.

    He however said the association cannot call off the strike until consultations are made with its executive council.

    He added that the strike, hopefully, will be called off on Saturday.

    After the meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said a five-person committee has been set up to look into some of the doctors’ demands.

    The committee includes NARD’s National President, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association, and one representative each from the Ministries of Labour and Health.

    The committee is expected to look at the non-payment of House Officers’ salaries within 72 hours and produce a valid list to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), through the Federal Ministry of Health.

    On the issue of salary shortfall of resident doctors from 2014 to 2016, Ngige said the meeting resolved that NARD and the Committee of Chief Medical Doctors should immediately submit a list of affected institutions and personnel strength, for it to be captured in the 2021 supplementary budget, with arrears from April 2019 to December 2019, as contained in the memorandum of action.

    Similarly, on the issue of hazard allowance, the Minister directed that NARD come up with a position paper which should be submitted at the meeting between the Presidential Committee on Salaries, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Nigeria Medical Association, and the Joint Health Sector Union on April 14 at the Federal Ministry of Labour.

    Other issues the meeting considered are abolishment of the bench fees, residency training allowance, group life insurance payment and payment of residents on GIFMIS platform.

  • FG, resident doctors meet today over strike

    FG, resident doctors meet today over strike

    The Federal Government will today(Friday) hold another meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) over its nationwide strike.

    The government will hope to convince the doctors to put – off the strike, which has paralysed activities in government- owned hospitals.

    Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment announced the meeting in a text on Thursday.

    The meeting will hold at the conference room of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige by 3pm.

    “The Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige will be meeting with Executive of the National Association of Resident Doctors and Representatives of the Federal Government,” the message said.

    The leadership of NARD has remained adamant despite the government paying arrears of medical doctors who are mostly House Officers.

    But in a communiqué on Thursday, the NARD described the statement credited to Dr. Ngige as “spurious misinformation.”

    Admitting that some house officers have been paid, it said many of them are yet to be paid.

    Besides, it alleged the payment was marred by irregularities.

    The association noted the strike became imperative when it noticed the Ministry of Health was not interested in any form of settlement to avert the strike.

    It said the only positive result from the conciliatory meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment was abolition of the exorbitant bench fees being paid by NARD members on outside postings in all training institutions across the country.

    “This”, it said, “is however not yet backed by a circular.”

    The communiqué reads: “All other demands like the immediate payment of all salary arrears including march salaries for its members in all federal (GIFMIS platform) and state tertiary health institutions across the country, upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, payment of death in service insurance for all health workers who died as a result of COVID-19 infection or other infectious diseases, among other demands are yet to be met.

    “We want to use this medium to reiterate our commitment to the smooth running of all tertiary institutions in the country and the provision of specialist healthcare to Nigerians, but we need to first of all care for our own health and welfare in order to give standard care to our patients. This is in line with our physician oath.”

  • Strike still on, no concrete resolution reached – JUSUN

    Strike still on, no concrete resolution reached – JUSUN

    The Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) said the strike was still because no concrete resolution had been reached.

    The legal adviser to JUSUN, Mariam Usuf-Gusau, made this known on Thursday in Abuja in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    ” The strike is still on while we await the outcome of the negotiation, we are not backing off until our demands are met” she said.

    JUSUN began an indefinite strike on Tuesday over continued delay to implement financial autonomy for the judiciary.

    President Muhammadu Buhari had on May 22, 2020, signed the Executive Order 10 for the enforcement of the financial autonomy status granted to state legislature and judiciary in the Nigerian Constitution.

    Executive Order 10 of 2020, made it mandatory for all states to include the allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in the first-line charge of their budgets.

    The order also mandates the accountant-general of the federation to deduct from source amount due to the state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to each state, for states that refuse to grant such autonomy.

    ”How can state high courts beg from governors for what is constitutionally theirs,” Usuf-Gusau sais.

    In the same vein, Sunday Adetola, an Abuja-based lawyer urged government to meet the demands of JUSUN for financial autonomy.

    Adetola said:” does government understand the symbiotic relationship between justice and social cohesion? Justice is the sacred womb where peace and tranquility are conceived and birthed.

    ” When the Judiciary is strangulated through financial subjugation by the Executive arm of government, the capacity to dispense wholesale justice without fear or favour is tragically impaired and dangerously undermined.

    ” On the debit side, denial of justice will always breed anarchy in the polity. This is the more reason why financial autonomy should be advanced to the highest heaven.

    ” Why is it so difficult for the Executive arm of government to come to terms with the point that reducing the Judiciary to a toothless bulldog will inevitably translate to more security spending and needless waste of human and material resources in dealing with the resultant anarchy/consequences of failure in the justice sector” Adetola said.

    He questioned the justification for disobeying decisions of Courts of competent jurisdiction affirming the legal rights of the Judiciary to enjoy financial autonomy by the Executive.

    ” Why is the fund for the Judiciary so attractive to the Executive? Has it anything to do with pilfering at the instance of the Executive?

    “To put it bluntly the Executive is a notable culprit in the mess we find ourselves in this nation on account of frustrating the Judiciary in the performance of its Constitutionally assigned role as the official arbiter of the state.

    ” May the voice of reason prevail as we continue to work for the survival and sustainability of a virile and indissoluble Nigeria where transparent justice is the order of the day” he stated.

    NAN correspondent who went round some courts in Abuja observed that JUSUN officials were seen at the entrance of various court to monitor compliance.