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Tag: Strike

  • All sectors will remain shut as workers protest – Labour

    All sectors will remain shut as workers protest – Labour

    The Organised Labour in Lagos State has said all sectors including aviation, banks and others would be shut as workers would take to the streets to protest on September 28.

    The Deputy Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Amaechi Asogwuni, made this known at a news conference on Sunday in Lagos in ahead of the strike.

    “No airport will be in operation in Nigeria; banks are not expected to function, so no business owners should risk himself for Nigerian workers have taken that decision.

    “We are the workers and we are withdrawing our services; we have the right to do so because protests are our constitutional right.

    “And I believe we will enforce it; schools shall remain closed until this action ends, ” he said.

    Asogwuni called on Nigerians to join the protest, saying it was part of their quota to democracy.
    “We must ensure that all sectors remained shut as a voice to the government to respond to the cry of Nigerians.

    “On the issue of PMS, what was expected of government was to engage its socio-partners which include labour as a stakeholder.
    “The government did not do that at a time it ought to; it failed in its duty to engage labour before time.

    “On the issue of electricity, government had earlier had an interaction with labour in Kano and we discouraged it from proceeding.

    “It was a big shock that it still went ahead to dare Nigerians; people depend on power and you cannot wake up over night and strengthen suffering.

    “We resist it and call on Nigrians to join, because in democracy it is our voice that makes the difference,” he said.

  • Labour ready for nationwide strike – NLC

    Labour ready for nationwide strike – NLC

    President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, on Sunday confirmed that all affiliate unions of the organised labour were ready for the nationwide strike.

    He made the declaration in Abuja at a meeting with the House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, NAN reports.

    Wabba said the NLC would go ahead with the strike if its demands are not met before the expiration of the ultimatum.

    The deadline expires on Sunday night.

    Wabba said the increase in electricity tariff and hike in fuel price had eroded the purchasing power of the Nigerian workers.

    The labour leader noted that the initial plan was to ensure that there was no increment in electricity tariff until meters are provided for Nigerians.

    He added that there was a valid court judgment nullifying the electricity tariff.

    To this end, Wabba said National Industrial Court judgement asking NLC to stop its planned strike could not be sustained.

  • Gbajabiamila offers NLC palliatives to avert strike

    Gbajabiamila offers NLC palliatives to avert strike

    To avert the strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) billed to commence on Monday, the House of Representatives has offered organised labour some palliatives.

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, at a negotiation meeting with labour on Sunday in Abuja said the palliatives would be included in the proposed 2021 budget.

    Gbajabiamila said that the budget would soon be presented to the National Assembly, stressing that some palliatives were being considered to cushion the effects of increase in electricity tariff and fuel price hike.

    The palliatives, according to the speaker, includes distribution of food items, reduction of taxes on minimum wage and payment of some special allowances.

    Others are involvement in ownership of housing programmes through mortgage and distribution of special buses to public institutions which run on auto gas.

    Gbajabiamila said that the palliatives would go a long way to assuage the suffering of Nigerians.

    He said the lawmakers would also make provision in the budget to tackle the eight million deficit of meters to enable Nigerians to access them.

    Gbajabiamila, who described estimated billing as a scam, said: “I have never heard it anywhere in the world, so if we may have to provide for the deficit, we will have to do that.”

    He appealed to labour to suspend the planned strike, saying embarking on industrial action at this critical time would not augur well for the citizenry.

    “You know, you cannot go on strike at this time, if you go on strike, the people you think you are protecting will be at the receiving end, we share your philosophy regarding workers’ rights.

    “We know what Nigerians are going through, our position on electricity billing is obvious, the only thing now is to continue to talk, I am concerned about the people out there.

    “Shutting down the markets, banks and other places of work is my worry, I am concerned about the people,” he said.

    Gbajabiamila said that there was the need for every Nigerian to be properly metered in order to capture the true cost, adding that the lawmakers would consider metering in the 2021 budget.

    The President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said that the increase in electricity tariff and hike in fuel price had eroded the purchasing power of Nigerian workers.

    He said the initial plan was that there would not be increase in electricity tariff until meters were provided for Nigerians.

    Wabba commended the speaker for the intervention, adding that he had consistently represented the interest of Nigerians.

    The NLC president said there was a valid court judgment nullifying the electricity tariff, adding that the judgment of the National Industrial Court asking NLC to stop its planned strike could not be sustained.

    Wabba insisted that the NLC would go ahead with the strike if its demands were not met by the Federal Government before the expiration of the ultimatum.

  • Mother of All Protests: We’ve not received any court order to stop – NLC

    Mother of All Protests: We’ve not received any court order to stop – NLC

    By Emman Ovuakporie

    The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Sunday said the umbrella body of labour in Nigeria has not received any court notice not to embark on a national protest tomorrow.

    The NewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the scheduled nation wide protests by organised labour has denied receiving any notice restraining them from embarking on strike tagged ‘mother of all protests’, against hike in fuel price and electricity tarrif.

    Speaking with journalists after a meeting with the House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, NLC President, Ayuba Wabba said:

    “We have not received any court order restraining us from embarking on tomorrow’s strike and so we are giving the Federal Government till midnight to reverse pump price and electricity tarrif or face the scheduled strike.

    He further explained that ” the Federal Government failed to obey a court injunction restraining them from increasing electricity tarrif.

    Meanwhile, more than 16 unions across the Nigerian economy have given notice to their members to embark on strike on Monday (tomorrow).

     

  • We have not called off strike – ASUU

    We have not called off strike – ASUU

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities has discredited speculations that its ongoing strike has been suspended.

    It made the explanation via its Twitter handle while reacting to #ASUUResumes trend on Friday.

    According to the union, the report claiming that its members have resumed is false.

    “Contrary to speculations making the rounds in the social media that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has called off strike, nothing of such is true.

    “If we are going to call off our going strike, there is a process that will be followed and nothing of such has been done.”

    The President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, had promised that the union would sustain its ongoing strike action until the Federal Government addresses all its demands.

    Ogunyemi said ASUU was asking the Federal Government to implement the 2012 universities’ needs assessment.

    He added that it was depressing that Nigerian university lecturers were still on the same salary scale of 2009, stressing that this must be addressed before ASUU would suspend its ongoing strike.

    Ogunyemi stated, “Salary issues are still there; we have not fully addressed that. It appears that some forces in government are bent on making our members to suffer by withholding their salaries. But we believe that once we sort out the issues of the Universities’ Transparency and Accountability Solution, other issues will fall in place.

    “The 2009 agreement we had with the government stipulates that that agreement will be reviewed every three years, but since then, we have not been able to review the salary scale.

    “That is why we are saying that the negotiation we started with the government in 2017 ought to have been completed and with the completion of that negotiation process, a new salary scale should be in place.

    “We are insisting that the process is completed before this ongoing strike is suspended among other things.”

     

  • Fuel, tariff hike: 36 Governors hold emergency meeting today over NLC’s planned strike

    Fuel, tariff hike: 36 Governors hold emergency meeting today over NLC’s planned strike

    Governors of the 36 States of the nation have fixed an emergency meeting for Thursday in a bid to stop planned strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC.

    The NLC had declared nationwide strike and protest beginning from Monday, September 28 after the Federal Government failed to revert the hike in fuel and electricity tariff in the country.

    A statement issued by the Nigerian Governor’s Forum on Wednesday said the meeting would hold by 6.00pm on Thursday.

    According to the statement issued by Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, Head, Media and Public Affairs of NGF, the agenda of the meeting was to mediate in the dispute between the Federal Government and the labour in a bid to avert the strike.

    The meeting will be held virtually, as the governors would join the meeting from their homes or offices.

    Recall that the Federal Government recently hiked the price of PMS to N160 per litre and increased electricity tariff by over 100 percent.

    A meeting between the NLC and the Federal Government last week was deadlock as the government refused to shift position.

  • Strike looms as FG, Labour meeting ends in deadlock

    Strike looms as FG, Labour meeting ends in deadlock

    The meeting between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour over the removal of petrol subsidy and the increase in electricity tariffs, ended in a deadlock on Monday.

    While receiving the labour leaders to the meeting held at the Bouquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, in Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, compelled stakeholders to join heads and deliberate how Nigeria can survive the economic challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Ngige said the meeting is “a bilateral dialogue between us as Nigerians to consider the state of the economy and events that have necessitated recent increases in electricity tariff and the price of petrol.”

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, also urged the labour to show more understanding with the government over its policies.

    Sylva noted that Nigeria lost about N1billion daily between 2016 and 2019, as a result of fuel subsidy and N3.74billion daily before 2016.

    “There are a lot of issues to discuss; from 10 o’clock we haven’t been able to trash out all the things; I think it will be right to set committees to further deliberate and resolve them,” he said.

    But the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, maintained that the recent hike in cost of fuel and electricity tariffs further intensified the economic hardship facing Nigerians.

    Wabba said workers who have lost their jobs and sources of income due to COVID-19, are being forced to make further sacrifices.

    “Those issues that constitute the price are part of the inefficiency in the system which the government hitherto has been paying and christened subsidy. The government cannot transfer the inefficiency to the people. Nigeria should refine its products,” he said.

     

    “At this point, what do you have on the table to cushion the effects on workers – their families because they have been pushed to the wall and already at the edge. Do you have anything for us? So that we can now say that despite these challenges, this is what I have for Nigerian workers that they can have something that can cushion this effect for them.”

    According to him, “Already the value of minimum wage had been eroded. The purchasing power parity, when you compare with all West African countries, we are already on the ground.

    “That is the reality. In Ghana, compare their minimum wage with our own; in all West Africa countries, including Niger Republic that has just started refining recently, they are now serving us with products. That is not how we ought to be.”

    The meeting ended with no settlement reached, while no date was fixed to continue the talks.

     

  • Ogun on another shutdown as workers begin one week warning strike today

    Ogun on another shutdown as workers begin one week warning strike today

    Workers in Ogun State on Tuesday declared one-week warning strike after failed negotiation with government on the new minimum wage and gratuity.

    The warning strike will be effective from 12pm on Wednesday.

    The declaration came after a meeting between the state’s chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun in Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, the state capital.

    The labour Chairman, Comrade Emmauel Bankole who addressed newsman after the meeting argued that If Lagos, Oyo and Ondo States had begun payment of the new minimum wage despite the pandemic, nothing stopped the state government from paying too.

    According to the Chairman, other unaddressed issues that triggered the strike were delay in workers promotion and shortchanged of retirees in the State.

    His words “Unfortunately the demonstration is deadlock. The one week warning strike will begin 12 midnight tomorrow over the minimum wage and other issues like gratuity and allowances that have not been paid for years.

    “The decision of the government is unacceptable to us. What they said is that the minimum wage will have to delay for them to do some other things.

    “Having waited for so long, enough is enough. Our findings shows that Ogun State Government is not the poorest in the South West. If Lagos, Oyo and Ondo are paying despite the pandemic, nothing stops Ogun State from paying.”

    Reacting, the state government expressed shock over the action, describing it as strange.

    Speaking on behalf of the government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Remi Hassan said the request of the workers was legitimate but embarking on strike should not be the next thing when negotiation was still ongoing.

    He said “Every state has its own priority and you cannot use what is going on in other state to determine what happens in other state.”

  • JOHESU to begin nationwide strike midnight

    JOHESU to begin nationwide strike midnight

    Health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) are to begin a nationwide strike from midnight on Sunday.

    The strike is over Federal Government’s inability to meet their demands.

    The JOHESU President, Mr Josiah Biobelemoye, made this known in a letter addressed to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, and made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

    The workers had issued a notice to the government, saying that it would embark on a nationwide strike, if their demands were not met.

    JOHESU’s demands include addressing of structural and infrastructural decay in the nation’s health sector and review of the implementation of COVID-19 special inducement and hazard allowance.

    Ngige had on Friday called for a conciliatory meeting between the Federal Government and JOHESU.

    The government directed that in view of the understanding reached at the meeting, JOHESU should consult with its members and report back to the government on Sept. 12.

    Biobelemoye said on Sunday that the outcome of the meeting between the joint unions and the government was reported back to the unions’ expanded National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday.

    He said that it was unanimously agreed that nothing concrete was achieved at the meeting with the government, and the strike notice was, therefore, germane.

    “Therefore, the 15-day ultimatum still subsists, and with effect from midnight of Sept. 13, 2020, our members shall withdraw their services due to the government’s inability to meet their demands.

    “Kindly accept the assurances of our high esteem,” he said.

    The health workers had in a letter dated Aug. 30 and addressed to the Federal Ministry of Health, issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet their demands.

  • Industrial action: Arik Air seeks intervention

    Industrial action: Arik Air seeks intervention

    The Management of Arik Air has asked for intervention of the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over the planned industrial action by aviation unions scheduled to commence on Monday.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Arik, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, made the appeal in a letter written to the minister entitled: “Re-Unions in Arik Air threaten to down tools September 14th” in Lagos on Sunday.

    The aviation unions are the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).

    Recall that the unions on Thursday, threatened to call Arik Air workers out on a strike on Monday, over alleged non payment of staff salaries since April after placing 90 per cent of the workforce on compulsory leave.

    Ilegbodu appealed to the minister to intervene in seeking for the understanding and cooperation of the workers’ unions.

    “We remain committed to protecting the airline and assure our stakeholders of a safe and conducive working environment.

    “We shall also protect the interest of the flying public for a safe, friendly and on time travelling experience,” he said.

    Ilegbodu worried that the threat of strike was coming without an exhaustive use of the various channels of engagement, discussion, consensus and understanding which he described as faulty.

    He added that the planned strike by the unions was unlikely to yield the best outcomes for staff, the company and its faithful passengers.

    The airline chief further described the action of the unions as an abuse of the position of union leadership.

    Ilegbodu noted that the issues in dispute could not pass the test of fairness and only affected, in the short term, less than 20 staff out of a work force of over 1600.

    He explained that prior to it going into Receivership, the employment letters basically detailed the approved emoluments of staff.

    Ilegbodu said since the commencement of the receivership, this had been expanded by the introduction of policies to create best practice work environments to deliver top notch services.

    He noted that management had been in discussion with various staff groups and unions to have those policies codified into Staff Conditions of Service and had a share of mind on most issues.

    Ilegbodu said the only outstanding area of difference was the request by the unions for a terminal benefit scheme over and above the requirements of the Pension Act.

    “They request for an independent retirement benefit scheme that will be wholly funded by the airline for retiring, resigning or terminated staff.

    “This request will receive a lump sum payment upon exit that will in some cases, double the joint contribution of management and staff under the Pension Act of 2004 as amended.

    “While it is the right of staff to share in the prosperity of a company, the request for an additional retirement scheme from a loss making company, in receivership and whose operations are supported by creditors over and above legal requirements is simply onerous.

    “Given the cost driven challenges in the aviation sector that have seen majority of airlines fold up in the past years, the request by the unions will set an unsustainable standard for other airlines that are struggling to survive in these difficult times.

    Ilegbodu said notwithstanding, management had remained committed to appropriate staff welfare and would do its best to keep workers motivated within the limit of available resources.

    He said the airline was grateful that financial creditors had all suspended demands for repayment to ensure the stability of the airline.

    The airline chief said it was also enjoying the support of fuel suppliers, aircraft parts suppliers and various Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul organisations (MRO) while carefully managing the COVID-19 challenge.

    According to him, this is the kind of understanding and support we urge all our staff to imbibe so that we can ride the times and soar.

    Ilegbodu thanked the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the vast majority of staff for their understanding and cooperation as it navigated the post COVID-19 challenges.