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Tag: workers

  • Boko Haram: NNPC not sure insurgents have released kidnapped staff

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, ‎Ibe Kachikwu, on Thursday said he cannot confirm if any of the oil workers kidnapped by Boko Haram has been rescued.

    Kachikwu made the claim while addressing journalists at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, headquarters in Abuja.

    “We only heard, but can’t confirm if anyone has been rescued,” he said.

    Recall that TheNewsGuru reported that Boko Haram insurgents had laid ambush for the oil workers in Magumeri local government area of Borno state on Tuesday.

    Nine soldiers and some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) who were providing security for the oil workers were killed during the ambush.

    Their abduction was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Cooperation, Ndu Ughamadu on Wednesday.

    “They were kidnapped around Jibi village in Borno state after a gun duel between the security agents accompanying them and suspected Boko Haram fighters,” Ughamadu said.

    Ughamadu confirmed that the NNPC had contracted the team to carry out research work on oil exploration activities taking place in the Lake Chad basin.

  • I’m not owing workers, pensioners in Osun – Aregbesola

    I’m not owing workers, pensioners in Osun – Aregbesola

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has said he is not owing civil servants and pensioners in the state salaries.

    Aregbesola said this on Wednesday in Osogbo at a symposium organised by the Osun Command of the Police Community Relations Committee.

    The governor said in spite of the economic challenges confronting the nation and the state in particular, his administration had not failed in paying workers regularly.

    Aregbesola said he was aware of the insinuation being peddled by those he regarded as adversaries to incite the public against his administration.

    He, however, said workers in the state had been paid up to June.

    “Let me make a resounding correction that despite the paucity of funds, it is only a section of workers on grade level 12 and above who receive painfully 50 percent of their gross salaries based on agreement between the government and the labour union.

    “So, outside that category of workers on grade level 12 and above, no other receives half of his or her salaries and the workers in this category are just 20 percent of the state’s workforce.

    “Outside that, officers on levels 8-10 receive 75 percent of their salaries while officers on levels 7 and below receive their full pay.

    “Contrary to what the naysayers claim about us, all workers in the state have received their salaries up to June this year according to the payment scheme and agreement.

    “As we pay active workers, so we pay pensioners.

    “The only outstanding pay to pensioners is the gratuity and this is due to workers who choose not to participate in the Contributory Pension Scheme and therefore left service in 2011/2012,’’ the governor said.

    In his lecture at the symposium, a former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, attributed some of the socio-economic, religious, political and security challenges in the country to absence of sacrificial spirit among Nigerians.

    Arase, who spoke on “Combating Twin Evil of Terrorism and Kidnapping through People’s Policing in Nigeria,’’ condemned the incessant cases of kidnapping, terrorism and insurgency in the country.

    He said it was time for all Nigerians to develop consciousness toward securing the society by reporting any strange activity within and outside their areas.

    NAN

     

  • 7.5m workers register under pension scheme in Q2 – NBS

    7.5m workers register under pension scheme in Q2 – NBS

    The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated that the Retirement Savings Account (RSA) membership distribution data for second quarter, 2017 reflected that over 7.5 million workers registered under the pension scheme.

    The NBS stated this in a report on “Retirement Savings Account (RSA) Membership Distribution for Second Quarter, 2017’’ posted on the bureau’s website on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The bureau stated that the scheme recorded over 7.5 million workers in the second quarter compared to 7.4 million in first quarter of 2017 out of a total working population of over 69 million workers.

    This, the bureau stated, represented 10.93 per cent of the total working population.

    It stated that the figure was not surprising, given the largely informal structure of the labour force with about 50 per cent of the current workforce engaged in subsistence agriculture and informal trading.

    It also stated that micro businesses, for example, accounted for over 90 per cent of total Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Nigeria.

    The report stated that out of a total male working population of 36 million, only 5.3 million or 14.83 per cent male workers registered under the pension scheme as at second quarter.

    Similarly, it stated that only 2.1 million or 6.64 per cent out of a total female working population of 33 million registered under the scheme as at the second quarter.

    Accordingly, it stated that out of the 7.5 million RSA members, 71.04 per cent were men and 28.96 per cent were women compared to 71.10 per cent men and 28.90 per cent women in first quarter of 2017.

    The report further stated that the highest number of registered working population came from the age bracket of 30-39 years and closely followed by the working population within the age bracket of 40 -49 years and 50-59 years.

    It, however, stated that the least number of registered working population came from above 65 years and 60 – 65 years age bracket.

     

    NAN

  • 2019: Get your voters’ card to kick out anti-labour politicians, Wabba urges workers, pensioners

    The President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba has urged pensioners and active workers who are yet to get their voters card to do so on time as that (the voters card) remain the only veritable tool to kick out politicians who operate anti-labour policies.

    Wabba said this when he paid a familarisation visit to the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) National Secretariat on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The labour leader said this was imperative as governors and other political office holders with anti-labour tendencies were on the increase.

    He said the political elites had the notion that pensioners and workers do not have any political value, adding that it was the reason why the payment of salaries and pensions were not being taken seriously.

    “A lot of politicians say workers and pensioners do not have political value and therefore it is a big challenge, they even claim that we do not have voters card.

    “We are going to embark on a vigorous campaign for workers and pensioners to register and obtain their voters card.

    “Because a process has been opened for workers, pensioners and their families to acquire voters’ card, where it is missing, revalidate it. We have the number.

    “In NLC alone, we are over eight million Nigerians without the pensioners and so, we have the number to challenge any politician and make them realise that we are a force to reckon with.’’

    According to him, let us awaken this consciousness and make sure we do what is right because we also have to engage the process and be able to represent our members.

    “Because the notion also is that we are very comfortable and that we do not have voters card. It is very important for us to engage the system,’’

    He called on the leadership of the NUP to as a matter of urgency issue a circular to pensioners in the 744 Local Government Areas to ensure that they have their voters’ card.

    “Even if a pensioner is on a wheel chair, he must get his card because we must also exercise our value and contribute to the system for our benefits.’’

    The NLC president described as unfortunate and a challenge that workers and pensioners were continually agonised as some states do not pay them their entitlement regularly, adding that it must be stop.

    “The constitution has made it very clear that pension is a right after working diligently for the service of your nation for 35 years and having attained the mandatory age of 60.

    “Retirement ought to be sweet, but in most cases retirement these days is not sweet, you are always on one verification or the other.’’

    Wabba added that NLC’s National Executive Council would meet to deliberate on a campaign strategy that would ensure that all workers, pensioners, their family, and dependents have a voter’s card.

    He also assured the NUP that the problem of minimum wage for workers and pension would be tabled before governments at all levels.

    Responding, Mr Abel Afolayan, NUP President decried the non-payment of the arrears of 33 per cent pension increase since 2010.

    According to Afolayan, civilian pensioners are being owed 18 months arrears, while the police pensioners are owed 39 months.

    “To be frank with you, some pensioners go home monthly with as low as N4,000 only. This is highly unfair and greatly inhuman.

    “We also have issues with some states governments over slash in pension arrears, among other issues and we will want you to assist us,’’ he said.

     

     

     

     

  • Air Zimbabwe set to sack 200 workers

    Loss-making Air Zimbabwe is cutting half of its 400 jobs as part of a restructuring plan to revive the ailing national carrier, its Chairwoman, Chipo Dyanda, said on Wednesday.

    Dyanda told Reuters that Air Zimbabwe would cut 200 jobs in its fourth round of layoffs in eight years.

    “We were overstaffed by a lot and we are also trying to weed out people without the right qualifications.

    “The retrenchment is meant to give space to the airline so that we can redeploy the money saved back into the company,” Dyanda said.

    She said Air Zimbabwe required a ratio of 45 workers per aircraft.

    The airline currently flies four planes which have forced Mugabe to hire private jets for his foreign travels at times.

    “As part of the strategic plan, we would like to get more reliable planes and expand our routes,” Dyanda said, without giving details.

    Air Zimbabwe cut 300 jobs in August 2015 following cuts in 2009 and 2013 but has since re-hired some of the workers.

    Like most state-owned companies in the southern African country, Air Zimbabwe has been making losses for years due to mismanagement, high operating costs, old aircraft and equipment.

    President Robert Mugabe’s son-in-law, Simba Chikore, was appointed chief operating officer last October, drawing accusations of nepotism from the opposition and critics of the government.

    An official at Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Transport said the airline, which has debts of more than $300m, is looking to lease aircraft from Malaysia.

     

    NAN

  • ‘We’ll shut down ports nationwide over passage of Ports and Harbour Bill’ – Workers

    Sequel to the passage of Ports and Harbour Bill by the Senate, port workers in the country are set to embark on nationwide protests on Tuesday over their disagreement with some sections of the bill, which they observed could lead to massive job losses.

    A source close to the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) told the newsmen on Sunday in Lagos that the protests would take place simultaneously in all the seaports.


    The source said that the union observed inherent dangers in the bill which was recently passed by the Senate.


    He said that the protests were being jointly organised by the MWUN and the Senior Staff Association of Communications, Transport and Corporations (SSACTAC), Maritime Branch.


    According to the source, the decision to embark on the mass protest was because there had been no response from the National Assembly since the two unions wrote a letter opposing some sections the Ports and Harbour Bill.


    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Ports and Harbour Authority Bill which seeks to repeal the Nigerian Ports Authority Act, 1955 as amended, has been passed by the Senate and is awaiting concurrent passage by the House of Representatives.


    The MWUN had earlier petitioned the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Yakubu Dogara, saying that the bill would lead to massive job losses for NPA workers.


    The union also pointed out several economic and security implications of the bill, if passed.


    When contacted, the Secretary-General of MWUN, Mr Felix Akingboye, confirmed the imminent protests, but refused to give details.


    “We are mobilising our members in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Onne, Warri and Calabar, for the demonstration.


    “The protests will hold simultaneously in all the ports from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday,’’ Akingboye said.


    “We are opposed to any attempt to further strip Nigerians of their rights through further concession in the guise of amending the NPA Act, 1955 as amended,’’ he said.


    According to him, the promoters of the bill are only after their personal interests and this is to concession the harbour operations of NPA to private individuals.


    “Whereas, all over the world, harbour operations are an exclusive duty of government because of the security implications and huge revenue generation.


    “We have carefully perused the bill and the existing Nigerian Ports Authority Act of 1955, as amended, and we cannot see any deficiency in the present NPA Act that warranted the bill, except for the latent intention of its promoters to corner for themselves harbour operations.

    “Harbour operations are a major revenue earner for the NPA and by extension, the Federal Government, without taking into consideration the security implications to the country and of course the job losses, as done during the concession exercise,’’ Akingboye said.


    He advised that government should avoid the mistakes of the port concession of 2006, which led to the sack of 12,000 NPA workers.


    “The provision of item 6 in the second schedule of the bill is repulsive. It provides that every staff of NPA would not be absorbed in the Ports and Harbour Authority.


    “No provision is made for what fate would befall those workers that would be affected including how and who pays their terminal benefits.


    “The Conditions of Service for the new authority will not be governed by statute and their employment with the new authority would be deemed as fresh employment, without regard to the number of years they have served the NPA.


    “The provision of Section 15 (4) of the bill gives the authority the powers to employ persons on non-pensionable terms and conditions.


    “This is offensive to the provisions of the Pension Reform Act, 2004 as amended,’’ Akingboye said.


    When contacted, the President-General of the MWUN, Mr Adewale Adeyanju, said that all enquiries should be directed to the union’s general secretary.


    “When the bill was being debated, there was no invitation to critical stakeholders, especially during the public hearing.


    “How can you be amending the Ports Act without seeking the opinion of port workers?


    “We are not going back on this,’’ Adeyanju said.

     

     

     

    NAN

     

  • Dead workers are still collecting salaries in Benue – Gov Ortom

    Dead workers are still collecting salaries in Benue – Gov Ortom

    The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has lamented that dead workers and some others who are supposed to have retired are still collecting salaries in his state.

    He said the sharp practices had increased the state’s wage bill to N7.9bn monthly, which he said was too much for his government to handle.

    Ortom said this in an interview with journalists shortly after attending a meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

    The governor said although he was committed to timely payment of workers’ salary, this could not be achieved with the unsustainable wage bill.

    He said his administration had therefore commenced a staff audit that will weed out “ghost workers” from the state’s payroll.

    He expressed the hope that the exercise, which will last three months, would bring sanity to the system.

    Ortom said, “You will recall that I declared a state of emergency on ‎payment of salaries, and I want to have the capacity to pay salaries as and when due because a worker deserves his wages.

    “We discovered that there were so many leakages on our payroll and ghost workers and other infiltration here and there.

    “I think that a wage bill of over N3.2bn is too much at the state level. And when you add pensions and gratuity, you are talking of about N4.2bn. It is too much for Benue State.

    “At the local government, you have a wage bill of N3.7bn. So, if you are talking about N7.9bn for a state, it is not decent enough.

    “Ghost workers, those who were due for retirement are still in the service, those who are dead are still collecting salaries and all that.

    “So, we believe that at the end of the day, we will be able to scale down to a level that we will be able to pay salaries as and when due.”

  • Bayelsa, Kogi, Delta, 23 others owing workers 16 months salary arrears – NULGE

    …Commends Lagos, Anambra, Kano, Cross River, 10 other states for prompt payment of workers’ salaries

    The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) said that 23 states of the federation currently owed local government workers’ arrears of salary ranging from one to 16 months.

    National President of the union, Ibrahim Khaleel stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.

    According to Kaheel, Bayelsa state was leading in indebtedness to local council workers with between 10 to 16 months, followed by Kogi between seven to 15 months; Delta State eight to 14 months.

    “Kaduna 12 months; Oyo three to 11 months; Edo 10 months; Abia five to nine months; Kwara two to nine months; Benue nine months and Nasarawa seven months.

    “Ondo, Ekiti, Imo with six months; Zanfara have not implementing minimum wage, Adamawa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Plateau owing four months, Taraba and FCT three months.

    “While Osun state has been paying half salaries for 24 months and few staff were owed few months in Enugu,” he said.

    The union noted that Ekiti has refused to remit union dues for the past nine months and Ogun has not also remitted its deduction for seven months.

    The national president also said that 700 staff members were owed between one to three months in Cross River State.

    He called on the governors of the states to offset the salaries and other allowances of local government workers with the second tranche of the Paris Loan Refund released to them.

    He said that failure to do so, the union would be forced to mobilised and shut down all local government councils in the country.

    Khaleel called on the state governors not to divert or tamper with the second tranche of Paris Club Loan refund but use it to offset the entitlement of the workers.

    He, however, said the union was aware that some state governors were already claiming that the amount released was not in conformity with the published figure.

    “We want to state in strong term that no governor should either divert or tamper with the fund.

    “This should be an avenue where the backlog of arrears of salaries owed the Local Government workers and some other welfare packages should be settled.

    “Such as leave bonus, arrears of promotion benefits, arrears of annual increment and non implementation of minimum wage most especially in Zamfara State are resolved and paid.

    “We, therefore, use this medium to appeal passionately to the State Governors to use this 2nd Tranche of Paris club loan refund to clear the backlog arrears of outstanding salaries.

    “This is in order to ameliorate the untold hardship they are currently passing through due to this ugly situation,” he said.

    He added that the union will not tolerate a situation where any state governor will hide under any guise to deny Local Government workers their legitimate salaries and allowances.

    Khaleed commended the 14 states including Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Cross River, Niger and Anambra that were up to day in the entitlement of local government workers.

     

     

    NAN

     

  • ‘Resume work or risk sack,’ Gov Ayade warns striking workers

    Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has ordered that the striking workers in the state should immediately resume work or he will sack them.

    Organised labour in the state have been on an indefinite strike since Monday this week over nonpayment of salaries to several civil servants, pension, and gratuities as well as the lack of promotion. The leadership of labour in the state said on no account must workers return to work without all issues being addressed.

    The labour union called for the sacking of secretary to the state government and for the governor to account for N31.1 Billion federal bail out funds he has so far collected for payments of pension, gratuities, and salaries.

    However in a statement by Ms Tina Banku Agbor, secretary to state government, the governor said, ” Workers are hereby advised in their own interests to resume work immediately or risk consequences. ”

    The statement expressed total disappointment with labour which they said forced workers who have enjoyed regular payment of upfront salaries, to stay at home.

    It described the action of labour as unpatriotic and unnecessary especially as it has come at a time when they know that the dwindling federal allocations to the state has not improved.

    Government disagreed with labour and insisted that since assumption of Ayade, he has cleared the six years promotion arrears, insisting that he has paid salaries promptly unlike in many states.

  • Ondo State Government denies sacking 600 LG workers

    Ondo State Government denies sacking 600 LG workers

    The Ondo State Government has denies reports in a section of the media that it had sacked 600 local government workers attached to traditional rulers across the state.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that no fewer than 600 workers attached to traditional rulers in the state were reportedly removed from the payroll of Ondo state government.

    According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Segun Ajiboye, the workers’ names were only removed from the remita, adding that it does not in any way affect the payment of their salaries nor their status as workers on their respective places of assignment.

    He said the 600 workers were adhoc staff integrated into local government service and made full members of staff.

    According to the statement, the government’s decision was informed by the need to make the workers more dedicated to their duties and to be committed to traditional rulers they work for.

    “The present administration led by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, is committed to make welfare of workers its priority.

    “The government does not have any plan to sack workers in the state,” the statement said.