TheNewsGuru

Tag: Strikes

  • Strikes: You are distracting my administration, Buhari tells ASUU, Labour, others

    Strikes: You are distracting my administration, Buhari tells ASUU, Labour, others

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday called on Labour Unions to allow his administration concentrate on fixing infrastructure in the country rather than distracting it.

    He made the remark while playing host to the Executive Committee of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in the State House, Abuja.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said “In three and a half years, we have improved tremendously on what we met. We are trying to do infrastructure.

    “No matter which part of the country you come from, you will see the efforts we are making in terms of roads; we are trying to fix rails, we are trying to do power, through the use of gas and solar. If you note what we have done in these three and a half years, you will not regret voting this administration into power.”
    President Buhari also said that Nigeria was doing very well in agriculture as the country was about to attain food sufficiency and security.

    While calling on the students to continue to plead with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the President assured that he will speak with the lecturers’ body “so that they don’t encroach on your efforts to qualify in time.”

    President Buhari said that he had explained in details while presenting the 2019 budget estimates, the earnings and expenditure and therefore expected the elite to understand the position of the government on certain issues, adding that it is the responsibility of the government to look after the employed as well as the unemployed.

    The President urged the youths to start preparing themselves to lead the country.

    He said “There is a tendency for you to think that you can do better than anybody, but it is very good for you to know the facts that leadership entails.”
    He assured Labour leaders that, having been in positions of leadership at various stages in life, and with the experience, he means well for Nigerians and indeed, workers, and should be allowed to fix infrastructure so that more Nigerians could be taken out of the poverty cycle.

    “I am totally loyal to this country. Whatever I do is in the interest of the ordinary people especially those who do not have the benefit of being educated like you, and are just trusting whoever is leading them,” he said.

    Buhari expressed gratitude to the students for appreciating some of the things his administration has been able to put in place and called on them to mobilise support for government, as it strives to make Nigeria a better place.

    Speaking earlier, the students, led by the president, Comrade Danielson Bamidele Akpan, had expressed appreciation of the efforts of the administration, especially in the transformation of the transportation sector as well as the decimation of terrorists in the Northeast.

    They, however, requested the government to intervene in the incessant strikes in the education sector; involve more youths in governance, and look into the plight of students in different institutions who have been expelled for ‘political’ reasons.

  • Teachers’ sack: Strikes, protests won’t change my decision – El-Rufai

    Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has said the strikes and protests embarked on by both the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) won’t stop the government decision on the sack of teachers and other workers in the state.

    The governor said the state government has already made provisions for their severance package.

    El-Rufai spoke with State House correspondents after seven Northern governors met with President Muhammadu Buhari after the Friday Juma’at service at the State House Mosque, Abuja.

    The governors who met President Buhari behind closed-door were – Abubakar Bello (Niger), Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Jibrilla Bindo (Adamawa) and Simeon Lalong (Plateau).

    He said: “There is nothing to step back on. It’s a well thought out position we took one and half years before we made the decision and we will not change it.

    “We have announced that in line with the public service rule, we will pay three- month severance pay and we have provided incentives for those that are retiring to go through the retirement training.

    “Those that are interested in farming we have the reserve land available and for those that want to go into trade, we have micro credit to support them. But if they are not suitable as teachers they can do other things and the government will do other things to support them.”

    On allegations that he directed police to stop workers marching to government house on Thursday to protest the alleged sack of about 21,000 teachers in the state, the governor said the right to protest was guaranteed in the constitution and that he was not in the state that day.

    He added: “I did not direct the police to stop the workers, I was not even in Kaduna. For me the right to protest is guaranteed in the constitution provided you don’t go violent and you don’t violate any laws.

    “I think the concerns of the police are because the precarious situation in the country particularly in Kaduna made it unsuitable to have such protest. And the last time they did such a thing they attacked the State House of Assembly.”

  • Strikes: Be more proactive to workers’ demand – NLC tells FG, States

    Strikes: Be more proactive to workers’ demand – NLC tells FG, States

    The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Thursday urged the Federal, States and Local Governments to be more proactive to workers’ demand to avoid a total breakdown of activities as currently obtained in the health and education sectors.

    In an exclusive phone conversation with TheNewsGuru.com, an executive of the union, who spoke on condition of anonymity said most times government waits till labour enforces the option of strikes before agreeing to honour agreements they willingly entered into with the unions.

    “Governments need to be more proactive to workers’ demands. Workers most times don’t prefer going on strike but that is the only language government understands. People work under poor conditions and still get poorly remunerated. Sometimes they don’t even get remunerated for months and even years. And they hear of same government officials spending billions on insignificant projects. This is why we most times chose to embark on strikes to get what they deserve from them (the government).”

    When he was asked for comments on the proposed strike action by workers under the aegis of United Labour Congress, UCL, the comrade said: “I’m sure they must have engaged the government before deciding to embrace the strike option. It is government’s insensitivity to workers demand that causes strike. I’ll implore the government to meet with them and consider their requests. We can’t afford going on another strike especially in key sectors like power and oil. That will be disastrous. The unions will shelve the strike if governments fulfil its end of the bargain,” he said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the United Labour Congress, ULC, and its affiliate unions on Tuesday threatened to shut down the oil and power sectors by Friday if the Federal Government does not meet its demands.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that other affiliates of the union that promised to shut down the sectors by Friday include Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE.

    Others are National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE; National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Employees, NUBIFIE; Nigeria Union of Mine Workers, National Association of Aviation Professionals, Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria; Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria; Nigeria Union of Railway Workers; Private Telecommunications, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Shop and Distributive Employees.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that while the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, called off its three weeks old strike on Thursday (today), the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is still meeting with the federal government to finalise ending it’s over one-month-old strike that has crippled academic activities across state and federal institutions.

     

     

  • Strikes: FG commences payment of salary, promotion arrears of civil servants

    Strikes: FG commences payment of salary, promotion arrears of civil servants

    Sequel to the enormous strikes that has enveloped some vital sectors of the economy, the Federal Government is set to commence the payment of salary arrears, promotion arrears and other entitlement of civil servants in the country on or before Wednesday, September 20, 2017.

    This was part of the four point agreement reached between the government and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria to avert the proposed strike action by the union.

    However, while the government says that union has agreed to temporarily suspend the strike till Wednesday, President of the union, Bobboi Kaigama said the union was only being proactive, pointing out that if they fail to commence payment on Wednesday, the strike action will begin.

    A communique signed at the end of the meeting by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour, Bolaji Adebiyi and National President of the Association, Bobboi Kaigama said a seven man committee is to be set up to monitor the implementation of the agreement.

    The communique reads: “Following the seven day ultimatum dated 8th September, 2017 issued by the Association of Senior Civil Servant of Nigeria on the issue of non-payment of salary arrears and other entitlements of public servants especially promotion arrears failing which the Association, propose to embark on an industrial action effective from Monday, 18th September, 2017, the Minister of Labour and Employment convened a conciliatory meeting on Tuesday 12th September 2017.

    “Present at this meeting were all the 40 Chapter Chairmen of ASCSN branches and their Secretariat led by the President of ASCSN/TUC-Bobboi Bala Kaigama after an extensive deliberation on the issue of Public Servants unpaid promotion arrears and other entitlements.

    “At the end of the meeting, it was greed that Government will do all that is needed to ensure the commencement of payment of promotion arrears on or before Wednesday 20th September, 2017.

    “It was also agreed that the 30 Ministries, Department & Agencies (MDAs) that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) reported that have been cleared whose payment bill amounts to 1.165billion naira should start to receive credit of payment by Wednesday 20th September, 2017.

    “The OAGF should provide the list of the 30 MDAs that have been cleared to the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment and the Association by Wednesday, 13th September, 2017.

    “A seven man Committee to be chaired by the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment composed of 3 members from the Association and 3 from Government side to midwife, fine tune and monitor the implementation of these decisions.”

    Addressing the union before the commencement of the meeting, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige restated the unflinching commitment of the Buhari administration to the welfare of workers.

    He said: “the arrears in question accumulated for up to a decade but the President very much concerned about the welfare of the citizens resolved to settle the backlog, knowing that government is also a continuum. This is a government that has the interest of workers at heart, the very reason we stoically refused to retrench any civil servant despite dwindling resources we met and worsened by the recession”.

  • Buhari concerned about gale of strikes in health, education sectors – Presidency

    Buhari concerned about gale of strikes in health, education sectors – Presidency

    The Presidency has affirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari is concerned about the gale of strikes in the country and will do the needful to ensure industrial harmony.

    This was revealed in an interview on a monitored programme on Channels Television by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina.

    He was responding to the strike by resident doctors and the ongoing strike by university lecturers.

    He told his interviewer: “Yes, the President is the captain of the team but, then, he has so many other people working with him, who we can say will be the first line of defence when it comes to things like this. For the doctors, it is the Minister of Health first, and that will be done in conjunction with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who fortunately also is a medical doctor.

    “Of course, for ASUU, you know there is a Minister of Education and that is being done along with the Minister of Labour. So that is the first line of engagement. I think the President is the very last line of engagement.

    “But knowing that the President is the captain of the ship, his interest will be that there is peace and tranquillity in every sector of the economy. So, the needful will be done.

    “Naturally, the President will be concerned because he is here to ensure that every sector of the polity, every Nigerian, gets the best from the polity.

    “Naturally, he should be concerned if there are gales of strikes all around and he will do the best through his aides, through the ministers and those that have been appointed to be the first point of contact on these things. The best will be done.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that university lecturers on the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU on August 8 commenced an indefinite strike action while the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, commenced theirs on Monday.

    However, the concerned ministers (Health and Education) are in talks with the respective unions to end the strike.

     

  • Aleppo hit by air strikes, shelling as evacuation stalls

    Plans to evacuate besieged rebel districts of Aleppo were under threat on Wednesday as renewed air strikes and shelling rocked the city.

    Iran, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main backers in the battle that has all but ended four years of rebel resistance in the city, imposed new conditions.

    According to rebel and UN sources, they want the simultaneous evacuation of wounded from two villages besieged by rebel fighters.

    There was no sign of that happening.

    The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said insurgents fired shells at the two majority Shi’ite villages, Foua and Kefraya, in Idlib province west of Aleppo, causing some casualties.

    There was no immediate indication when the Aleppo evacuation might take place but a pro-opposition TV station said it could be delayed until Thursday.

    A ceasefire brokered on Tuesday by Russia, Assad’s most powerful ally, and Turkey was intended to end years of fighting in the city, giving the Syrian leader his biggest victory in over five years of war.

    But air strikes, shelling and gunfire erupted on Wednesday and Turkey accused government forces of breaking the truce.

    Syrian state television said rebel shelling had killed six people.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov predicted, however, that rebel resistance would last no more than two or three days.

    The defence ministry in Moscow said the rebels now controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km.

    Turkey was in contact with Iran, Russia and the U.S. to try and ensure the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo.

    Officials in the military alliance backing Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation, expected to start in the early hours of Wednesday, had stalled.

    According to a report, nobody had left by dawn under the plan, where 20 buses stood with engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts.

    UN war crimes investigators said the Syrian government bore the main responsibility for preventing any attacks and reprisals in eastern Aleppo and that it must hold to account any troops or allied forces committing violations.

    The Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours, in what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation.

    According to a media report, a total of 15,000 people, including 4,000 rebel fighters, wanted to leave Aleppo.