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Tag: Strike

  • Fuel Scarcity: Succour as PENGASSAN suspends planned strike

    Fuel Scarcity: Succour as PENGASSAN suspends planned strike

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its planned nationwide strike scheduled to commence today.

    The decision to suspend the strike comes on the heels of the intervention of the Director of the State Security Service, SSS, Lawan Daura, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu.

    PENGASSAN had earlier alleged anti-labour practices against some of its members by some indigenous oil companies, one of which it identified as Neconde Energy Limited.

     

    The strike action scheduled to formally commence after 11:59 p.m. today followed the group’s peace meeting last week with Mr. Kachikwu, which ended in a deadlock.

    Prior to the meeting, the oil workers had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to government to intervene over allegations of anti-workers’ practices perpetrated against some of its members working in Neconde Energy Limited.

    The umbrella body of senior workers in the oil and gas industry had accused the management of Neconde Energy Limited of wrongful termination of the employment of some of its workers who belong to PENGASSAN.

    However, despite shelving the strike, a close monitoring by TheNewsGuru.com showed that the scarcity is biting harder on Nigerians as most filling stations are either out of stock, not selling or overburdened with queues from customers who are in a haste to get their tanks filled.

     

    Details later…

  • Ngige pleads with PENGASSAN to Shelve planned strike action

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has appealed to members the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria ( P E N G A S S A N ) to shelve its planned strike scheduled to begin on Monday, December 18 in the spirit of the conciliation brokered between it and Neconde Energy Services Ltd.

    The union is asking the government to compel the company to recalled all sacked workers within seven days and stick to the nation’s Labour laws, adding that failure to do that, the union will have no other option than to call out its members on a nation wide indefinite strike action with effect from Monday, December 18, 2017.

    The union is Neconde Energy Ltd (of Nestoil Group of companies) of entrenching unfriendly Labour practices in contravention of the nation’s Labour laws and failing to remit taxes and pensions deducted from workers to government, while boasting that no government official can call it to order, adding that workers who decided to join unions are treated as slaves in their own country and dismissed from work”

    However, Deputy Director, Press in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere said in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday that with the conciliatory meeting brokered by Minister of Labour and Employment, the impending action by PENGASSAN has effectively been arrested in line with the provisions of the relevant labour laws.

    The statement said “We recall that the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige had on Wednesday, December 13 and Thursday, December 14, 2017 brokered long hours of conciliation between PENGASSAN and Neconde Energy Services Ltd and secured an agreement.

    “By that agreement, Neconde shall invite the sacked branch chairman of PENGASSAN and hold heart to heart discussion with him while PENGASSAN is to hold back proposed action pending the reconvening of the meeting in the second week of January 2018 when other contending issues relating to other oil companies would be also be sorted out.

    “We therefore wish to appeal to the Central Working Committee of PENGASSAN to reconsider its decision, respect the agreement and call off the scheduled action in the overall interest of the nation, more so when adequate notice of strike was not given. This appeal has become imperative in order to save Nigerians from further hardship in this season of Christmas and the New year”.

  • Stop paying us December salaries in November, Cross River workers tells Ayade

    Stop paying us December salaries in November, Cross River workers tells Ayade

    …demands immediate payment of unpaid pensions, other entitlements of workers in the state

     

    The Cross River State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday blasted Governor Ben Ayade for paying the December salaries of workers in the state earlier than scheduled (on November 30).

    The union also berated Ayade over the non-payment of arrears amounting to several billions of naira to pensioner and workers.

     

    The union gave the governor seven days, which began on Wednesday (today), to implement a Memorandum of Understanding reached on July 2, 2017. Otherwise, they said, the workers would resume their strike.

     

    Addressing reporters at the end of its State Executive Council meeting at the NLC Secretariat in Calabar, the state NLC chairman, Mr. John Ushie, also said it was wrong for the governor to have paid the December salary on November 30, adding that it was unfortunate.

     

    The workers had, on July 2, 2017 suspended an indefinite strike following an agreement embodied by the MoU with the state government.

     

    Ushie said, “We express our disappointment with the government for failure to honour some critical aspects of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed on July 2, 2017.

     

    “Among them are some of the issues of the failure of government to pay gratuity to retirees from June 2013 till date.

     

    “We are here again to tell the whole world that that agreement was not kept and the government has jettisoned the agreement and that has led to this meeting today (Wednesday) as directed by the National Executive Council meeting, which was held on November 16.

     

    “The NEC directed all state councils, where the government has not implemented the full payment of salaries, arrears of salaries, arrears of pensions and gratuities, to go back and strategise.

     

    “And that was done on the basis of the fact that the Paris Club refund has been released to all the state governments and that money was meant specifically to pay arrears of salaries, gratuities and pension.

     

    “Today, we are still discussing the issue of gratuity of 2013, which the governor himself told us that the second Paris Club Fund that was coming was to be used for.

     

    “As it stands, the government of Cross River owes gratuity from 2013 till date. And soon, we will enter 2018, as the workers continue to retire without their entitlements.”

     

    Speaking on the rush to pay the December salary, Vice Chairman of NLC, Mr. Edim Oyongha, said it was unfortunate, adding that the union had worked with several administrations in the state without being shut out.

     

    “We are in a pitiable situation. We all want salary but we do not want this upfront payment. We were paid December salary on November 30, even at that, not all categories of workers are normally being paid. A lot of them are still being owed, as it does not cut across,” he lamented.

     

    Ushie, in his view, said it was not proper for a state government to have paid, as workers would now have to stay for two months without receiving any pay, adding that it was not a proper way to plan.

  • Ganduje orders Kano hospitals’ staff to sign anti-strike agreement

    Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has said prospective employees of Giginyu Specialist Hospital and Zoo Road Pediatric Hospital constructed by the state government, may have to sign a bond, forbidding them from going on incessant strikes.

    Ganduje gave the indication while inaugurating a 20 – man Advisory Committee on the operations of the hospitals, expected to be commissioned soon by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “It will not be business as usual. Anybody serving in the two hospitals must sign an agreement that he or she will not go on strike,” the governor emphasized.

    He stated that the move was part of strategy to ensure maintenance culture, stressing that “it will not be worthwhile for the government to spend so much money in constructing and equipping the hospitals only for their workers to embark on strikes at will.”

    “We will not create a situation where our facilities will be vandalized. Our facilities will not be routed to private hospitals, our facilities will not be destroyed,” he added.

    He pointed out that the two new hospitals were built mainly to reduce medical tourism by providing high quality health care services to people from across the country and beyond, hence, anything that would jeopardize the vision of constructing them would not be tolerated.

    On the Advisory Committee of the hospitals, Dr. Ganduje said it would among other things, examine the progress of constructing and equipping them and advice on timely completion as well as articulate a proposal on their operational guidelines.

    The chairman of the committee, Dr. Aminu Mgashi said it would do a methodical job within the four weeks time frame set for it by the government.

  • Don’t embark on your proposed strike, Baru begs petroleum marketers

    The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, has appealed to Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, not to embark on their proposed strike action on December 11.

    Mr. Baru made the appeal during the commissioning of the NNPC Ultra-Mega Station in Shagamu, Ogun State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that IPMAN Lagos Chapter on November 29 threatened to withdraw its services from December 11 over NNPC’s breach of bulk purchase agreement to sell fuel to them at N133.28k per litre.

    The association, in a statement signed by its state chairman, Alanamu Balogun, Vice Chairman, Gbenga Ilupeju and the Secretary, Kunle Oyenuga, said it was set for a showdown with NNPC over irregular fuel supply at Ejigbo satellite depot.

    The GMD said that this was not the right time for the independent marketers to embark on strike.

    According to the GMD, as the sole importer of petroleum products, the corporation is distributing the products according to Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) template of N131 per litre.

    He said there was no reason for marketers to sell above the pump price of N145 per litre.

    “If some marketers are selling above the approved PPPRA template at depots, we will leave it for relevant regulatory agencies to seal them up.

    “They know the implication of going on strike now.

    “I will advise them to report any member of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPMAN) that sells at N141 per litre to relevant regulatory agencies to take action,” he said.

    He said the corporation had about 35 million litres of petrol for daily consumption and a reserve of over one billion litres for Christmas and New Year Celebration.

    The GMD urged motorists against panic buying, adding that the corporation had what could last for over 30 days in stock.

    Mr. Baru said the Ultra-Mega station was the first of its kind in the country.

    He said the state was the only state in the country with two mega stations.

    The GMD said Ogun had always played a major role in the economic development of the nation.

    Gbenga Ashiru, the Ogun Commissioner of Commerce and Industry assured the NNPC boss that state would give adequate protection to the mega station.

    Mr. Ashiru said Ogun State was one of the safest state in the country.

    He said the location of the station on Lagos-Ibadan expressway was a good one because the road is the busiest in the country.

    The Commissioner said the mega station would provide commerce and job for the indigenes of the state.

    Adeyemi Adetunji, the Managing Director, NNPC Retail Ltd. said the commissioning marked another milestone in the resolve of the GMD and NNPC top management to increase its footprint in the downstream petroleum industry.

    According to him, this will ensure adequate supply of premium petroleum products to the good people of Nigeria.

    ”We are launching our first Utra-Mega Station within our network which will serve the immediate community and travellers commuting to and from western parts of the country.

    “You will agree with me that the commissioning of this station will go a long way in ensuring NNPC Retail Ltd actualizes its mandate.

    “The station has 22 nozzles that made up of 14 petrol, four diesel and four for kerosene.

    “It is bigger in size than previous stations and designed to serve a larger number of customers,” he said.

     

    NAN

  • Panic in Nigerian universities as NAAT, NASU, SSANU resume suspended strike

    The non-academic staff unions of Nigerian universities (NASU) have resumed their suspended strike.

    The unions, members of NAAT, NASU, and SSANU, announced the resumption of the strike in a joint statement on Thursday night.

    They said the strike will resume on Monday, December 3.

    The statement was signed by the national presidents of NAAT, Sani Sulaimon; NASU, Chris Ani; and SSANU, Samson Ugwoke.

    The workers said they reject the mode of sharing the recent financial allocation to universities.

    “We wrote a letter to the federal ministry of education to explain the criteria for the allocation and we gave them seven days notice to do the needful. But the date has elapsed without a response from the federal government,” they said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the unions had earlier suspended their strike and asked their members to resume work on September 25 after signing a memorandum of understanding with the federal government.

    They gave the federal government one month to start the implementation of the agreement; but said on Thursday that the government is yet to meet their demands after two months of signing the agreement.

     

  • Unpaid allowances: NEMA staff embark on indefinite strike nationwide

    The Association of Senior Civil Servant of Nigeria (ASCSN) and Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Unit, on Thursday embarked on a nationwide three-day warning strike.

    Some that staff of the agency in Abuja, Minna, Lagos among others were seen with placard with inscription such as “Mustapha Maihaja must go”, “Mustapha we are tired of aluta, pay our claims or resign, enough is enough.”

    Others read: “No hazard allowance, no life assurance cover”, “Who will die next”, “No promotion exercise”, “Give us training it is statutory”, “Maihaja is an electrician, we are humanitarian”.

    Mr Saad Bello Chairman, Association of Senior Civil Servants, NEMA branch told newsmen in Abuja that the staff members are embarking on a peaceful protest nationwide.

    He noted that the union embarked on the warning strike over failure of the management to adhere to public service rules.

    He said the union was also agitating for better welfare and the resignation of its Director-General, Engr. Mustapha Maihaja.

    According to him, Maihaja has failed to live to expectations and had failed to implement the recently signed agreement with the union, which was chaired by Dr Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment.

    He said that the three-day nationwide warning strike commenced from Thursday will end on Monday, adding that if the management fails to meet their demands, indefinite industrial action would be declared.

    He listed the staff demands to include unpaid allowances, failure to renewed life assurance policy, lack of capacity building for staff amongst others.

    Bello said that the members of staff have also called for resignation of Maihaja as he has shown that he does not have adequate capacity and knowledge on how to run a humanitarian agency.

    “We are here to fight for our rights and implementation of the agreement reached between NEMA management and the Association of Senior Civil Servants in Nigeria, with the Ministry of Labour and Employment as witness.

    “We have a lot of issues that are bothering the minds of the workers of this agency and we have tried to approach the management but they became adamant.

    “We gave them the first twenty-one days notice to no avail, fourteen days notice to no avail, seven days warning to no avail until the Minister called us to a roundtable to discuss the issues that were raised.

    “Agreements were reached, with the management of NEMA and the Ministry of Labour and Employment signed, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and the NEMA unit of the Association equally signed the agreement.

    “This agreement bothers on the lots of liabilities of staff welfare, DTA, overtime, transfer allowances that had not been implemented and the agreement specified that it should be concluded within three weeks.

    “Three weeks had elapsed, nothing has been done about it and we cannot have a vibrant agency without capacity building”, Bello said.

    The Union Leader said that the entitlements of members of staff, who died from 2016 till date, have also not been paid for lack of life insurance policy.

    Bello said that another issue brought for discussion was the posting of some staff posted out of the headquarters because they clamoured for justice from management, and the Ministry agreed that they should be returned but nothing had been done.

    He said that if Maihaja feels he cannot implement the agreement, he should step aside for a new and capable person to take over the helm of affairs of the agency.

    He said that the Federal Government has been very supportive as the Minister of Labour championed the reconciliation meeting.

    He called for further intervention from the Federal government on the activities of the agency as a key humanitarian agency.

    Other members of the Union said that they were no longer opened for dialogue but calling for the implementation of the signed agreement and demands.

    All efforts to reach Maihaja at the time of the report were not successful as he sent a text that he was attending a National Council Meeting.

    Maihaja resumed duty as NEMA DG on April 21.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the management of the agency is yet to respond to the strike action embarked upon by the workers.

     

    Details later…

  • Bello visits Buhari, says ‘no pay for striking workers in Kogi’

    Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi says his administration will implement the no-work-no-pay policy following the decision of some workers in the state to sustain the strike they embarked upon on Sept. 22.

    Bello told State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday that a majority of the workers had resumed work.

    He, however, described those still on strike as “political civil servants’’, saying that the government would pay only workers that had resumed work.

    “Those workers that are on strike are political civil servants; the real civil servants are coming to work.

    “And we’re trying our best to keep up with the payment of salaries.

    “There is no denying the fact that the economy is biting hard everywhere and you will recall that I met four months’ salary backlog, which I cleared; and today we are up to date with salary payment.

    “We are owing August and September salaries as we speak.

    “We are up to date in terms of salary payment and those that come to work we shall pay.

    “And the no-work-no-pay policy shall surely apply to those that do not come to work.’’

    The governor pledged to maintain the periodic publishing of the state’s accounts.

    He said: “Very soon we are going to publish all the salaries that we have paid to workers since inception in newspapers for people to see.

    “All the noise about Kogi state government not paying salaries will be in the public domain.’’

    The governor advised people of the state to remain patient with his administration, saying: “Things are hard generally and we are trying our best (to make life easier for the people) and that is why we are transparent in everything that we do.’’

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the organised labour in Kogi, had in September, directed workers in ministries, agencies and parastatals to commence an indefinite strike from Sept. 22.

    The Chairman of the state chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Ranti Ojo, gave the directive while briefing newsmen in Lokoja.

    The leadership of labour had explained that the strike was embarked upon because the state government had refused to invite workers for negotiation over their demands.

    They maintained that the strike was the only other option left for the workers to explore for negotiation with the government.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Federal Government had also on Oct. 11, resolved to enforce the “No Work No Pay’’ stance as part of measures to restore harmony in the country’s public service.

  • Unpaid allowances: Resident doctors issue 10-day strike notice to UCH management

    Unpaid allowances: Resident doctors issue 10-day strike notice to UCH management

    Barely one month after their nationwide strike, the resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, on Friday, gave the hospital management another 10-day strike notice to protest unpaid salaries.

    President of the UCH branch of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Segun Olaopa disclosed this development at a news briefing.

    Olaopa said that the association’s dialogue with the hospital management on many occasions had yet to yield any positive result.

    “It has become imperative to draw the attention of the press to the brewing issues in UCH. These issues if not addressed, may impact negatively on the existing industrial harmony at the hospital.

    “These issues include: non-payment of our September salary, 28 percent shortfall in August salary, 2016 shortfalls of 11 months till date and work overload due to management’s refusal to employ new residents.

    “Presently, the number of residents stands at 525; this has reduced to 454, as some of them have completed their residency. By this October, 40 among us will also finish the residency.

    “The implication of this is that the remaining few residents are given work overload and this should not be; management should employ more residents to make the workload easy and to achieve maximum productivity.

    “Resident doctors’ accommodations need to be rehabilitated. The conditions of those flats are nothing to write home about.

    “We implore management to do the needful in order to avert another strike,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the association went on a 10-day national industrial strike, which was suspended on Sept. 14.

    Part of the outcome of the dialogue, which led to the suspension of the strike was that government would release money to pay the doctors’ backlog of salaries.

     

    NAN

  • Nigeria will lose N150bn daily should PENGASSAN, NUPENG embark on proposed strike – LCCI tells FG

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), has warned that the economy would lose an estimated N150 billion daily, if the proposed strike by PENGASSAN and NUPENG is not averted.

    The Director-General of LCCI, Mr Muda Yusuf, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Lagos.

    Yusuf said that it would not be a good development for an economy that was just emerging from recession.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the two unions had threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over delay in the payment of N800 billion subsidy arrears to oil marketers.

    Yusuf urged the Federal Government to engage the unions and propose a credible payment plan to settle the arrears.

    He noted that the consequences of the proposed strike would be severe because of the strategic and critical nature of the oil and gas sector.

    “It would paralyse the chain of logistics in the economy as economic activities are driven largely by road transportation, both for commuting and freight.

    “It will impact on revenue as the upstream sector would be affected as well. It would impact the power sector which is largely powered by gas,“he said.

    The LCCI boss noted that the fuel subsidy phenomenon had become a recurring distraction in the management of the country’s economy.

    “It is regrettable that government has over the years got itself entangled in a problem which should not have arisen in the first place,“ he said.

    He alleged that the country’s economy had suffered serial scandals and monumental corruption in the oil and gas sector because of the phenomenon of petrol subsidy.

    “We have consistently argued that the government should completely decouple itself from the business of importation, refining, transportation and retailing of petroleum products.

    “This arrangement has created considerable distortions and stagnated private investment in the downstream sector because these are enterprises that the private sector is best suited to manage, “he said.

    Yusuf said that government has no business fixing prices and subsidising the players.

    He said that in spite of the monumental problem the economy had from the subsidy regime, government has not taken urgent steps to put an end to price fixing for PMS.

    “The economy cannot sustain this arrangement. The current debt of N800 billion is 151 per cent of the total capital allocation for the Federal Ministry of Works, Power, and Housing in the 2017 budget.

    “It is 1,568 per cent of the capital allocation to health; it is 305 per cent of the capital allocation to Federal Ministry of Transportation; and 1,600 per cent of the capital allocation to education.

    “This raises vital questions about the optimality and efficiency of resource allocation and utilisation by government,” he said.

    He called for speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), adding that it will help to normalise the oil and gas sector.

    Yusuf urged the government to replicate the telecoms sector model in the oil and gas industry, adding that it would free resources for investment in critical infrastructures like power, roads, the railway, health and education sector.

    He stressed that the model would improve product availability, eliminate fuel queues, and create more jobs for the teeming youth in the downstream oil sector.