Sanwo-Olu said no worker in the state would be denied his lawful benefits, promising that the proposed minimum wage of N30,000 would be fully implemented by his administration.

The APC candidate spoke at an interactive session held by the organised labour union, including Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC), National Union of Teachers (NUT), and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), among others.

Sanwo-Olu, who was accompanied to the meeting by his running mate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, said his government would not be harsh on workers, adding that his ambition to govern the state was anchored on the objective to deliver a Lagos that would be greater than the current level of development.

While answering questions posed to him by the workers, Sanwo-Olu spoke on how his government would solve the notorious Apapa gridlock, which the workers said had contributed to low productivity and ill-health. The APC candidate explained that work had been ongoing on the construction of a parking lot by the Federal Government for the heavy trucks that ply the route, pointing out that his government would re-visit the plan to create state-controlled parking lot for the trucks.

He said that “My running mate and I have met with the Minister for Power, Works and Housing, who assured that the ministry is meeting with Dangote Group that took up the construction of the Apapa Highway. As a way of proffering lasting solution to the gridlock; when we form the next government, by the grace of God , we will bring back the idea of industrial park for these trucks. Rather than obstructing the road while waiting for their turn, the truck drivers can go there and park their vehicles.”

Sanwo-Olu said his government would consider introducing a housing scheme in partnership with the organised labour, noting that the scheme would be beneficial to both the government and the workers. He stressed that all workers, irrespective of level, deserved better welfare and living condition.

Responding to the workers’ concern raised on the difficulty in getting Certificate of Occupancy from the government, Sanwo-Olu promised that his administration, if elected, would review the process of the issuance of the Certicate of Occupancy, with the aim to remove the red tape that is slowing down the process.

He assured the workers that his government would improve transportation in the state, noting that the capacity of ferry service plying the waterways would be strengthened to complement that road transportation and reduce travel time.

His government, Sanwo-Olu said, will not discontinue the quarterly meeting which the governor usually has with a joint workers’ congress, while also promising that he would sustain the Office of Special Adviser on Labour Matters.

Lagos NLC chairman, Comrade Idowu Adelakun, described Sanwo-Olu as “a straightforward person”, saying he had no doubt the APC candidate would not disappoint the workers.

“Lagos has been consistent in paying the workers’ salaries early. We want the next government in the state to continue with this method in order to win continuous support of the workers,” he said.

His TUC counterpart, Francis Ogunremi, described Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat as friends of workers, urging them to improve the welfare of members of the labour unions.

The post Our govt’ll be labour-friendly, Sanwo-Olu assures workers appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Specifically, the labour unions said if the upward review of the national minimum wage was not acceded to by the governors and the Federal Government, they would have no other option but to go on strike.

In a statement jointly signed by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba; the TUC President, Bobboi Kaigama; and ULC President Joe Ajaero, the unions lambasted the Federal Government for its decision to implement a ‘no work, no pay’ policy.

The statement read in part, “If nothing is responsibly done by the Federal Government to meet our demands, on Monday, November 6, we shall embark on a nationwide strike to compel this government to show more sensitivity to the plight of Nigerians and the suffering that is decimating our people on daily basis.”

The organised labour said that the Federal Government should rather implement a ‘no pay, no work’ policy as well as a policy that would criminalise the non-payment of salaries.

The statement added, “A nation where the governments owes its workforce several months in arrears of unpaid salaries has not sought ways to eliminate it but is rather seeking ways to gag same workers from protesting this crime against them and their families.

“It is akin to beating a child and denying him the right to cry. Has the government considered ‘No Pay, No Work’?’ Has it considered criminalizing non-payment of workers; salaries? Has it considered paying arrears of salaries with interests?

“Of course, it has not! They are only interested in ‘no work, no pay’ seeking ways to constantly gag and put workers in a strait jacket has always been their pastime.”

The unions said it was unfortunate that governors could kick against the N30, 000 minimum wage but still solicit votes from workers.

They asked workers to vote out those who had failed to protect their interests.

“Nigerians are no longer surprised why governance in the nation seems to have become a huge joke if this is how they tackle other serious national issues. Imagine governors’ forum that has six representatives in the tripartite committee jumping in to make excuses after its representatives had made their submissions in the committee!

“We shall consider any governor saying that he is unable to pay as unpatriotic and, an enemy of Nigerian workers and masses. We shall vote them out in 2019.”

The organised labour said since the government was not willing to demonstrate honour and integrity in relating with Nigerian workers and masses, a national day of outrage and mourning would hold on October 30, 2018.

After which a meeting of various organs of the unions would also hold and then jointly embark on a strike.

The post NLC, TUC threaten to commence strike on Nov 6 over minimum wage appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The pressure group said that contrary to their claims, the Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), led by Joe Ajearo who also doubles as President of ULC and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), led by Achese Igwe, who is also the Deputy President of ULC, was laced with ethnic coloration and political interest.

While NUEE was demanding a reversal of the privatisation exercise carried out by the Federal Government, NUPENG premised its action on bad roads from depots and petroleum installations.

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, the Director- General of DIL, Kingsley Adedimeji and Public Relations Officer, Shehu Madaki, called on Nigerians to prevail on Ajaero and Igwe to “save the nation’s labour movement from disintegration.”

The DIL said, “Clearly, there’s more to the strike action that meets the eye as it seems to have political undertone as well as personal scores to settle especially by Joe Ajearo against losing out woefully to Ayuba Wabba at 2015 election of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). It is Instructive to note that Joe Ajearo, after failing to win NLC election as President pulled out to form ULC.

“Our investigations in ULC have revealed that the strike is politically motivated and sponsored by aggrieved politicians to discredit the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Having seen that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have failed to destabilise the government as planned, the politicians are now sponsoring Joe Ajearo and NUPENG led Achese Igwe to achieve what Nnamdi Kanu IPOB failed to achieve.

“Our people should see the true picture of what is happening and rally round President Buhari to win this war against corruption as corruption is using many fronts to fight back. If we may ask, when government deregulated the petroleum sector and people had to pay more money for petroleum products, why didn’t NUPENG go on strike?

“The answer is simple, their members made more money. Let the public not be deceived that these unions are fighting for them. It’s capital NO. They are only fighting for their pockets and collecting huge sums of money from aggrieved politicians who have stolen our commonwealth and want to destabilise the Buhari’s administration.”

The labour group informed Nigerians that due to the strike action, power generation has dropped from 4,500MW to 3,700MW with NUEE locking out electricity workers and preventing them from getting access to their respective offices, including even those that do not belong to their union.

Reacting to the demand by NUEE for the reversal of the privatisation exercise, Adedimeji said that when the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan carried out the exercise, the monies paid by investors who bought the power assets were used to pay off affected workers.

He said, “Will NUEE and affected workers return the monies they collected? Will they pay for penalties that may arise as a result of canceling the privatization? What signal does government send to investors that it cannot respect agreements entered into. Is this not what led to recent industrial actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) that government don’t keep to agreements?

Speaking on the strike by NUPENG, Madaki said after consultations with NUPENG while preparing the 2017 budget, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing included petroleum and depot roads that needs intervention in the 2017 budget presented to the National Assembly.

He said, “However it is public knowledge that NASS cut and mutilated the budget for constituency projects. The Executive cried out and an agreement was reached with NASS to send Virement to restore the budget.

“Till date, the Virement sent by government is yet to receive attention. How can the Ministry proceed to intervene on these roads without a budget? Why did NUPENG not exert pressure on NASS to pass budget on these roads knowing that it affects their members?”

The post ULC Strike: Politicians are using Ajaero, Achese to discredit Buhari, says Labour group appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, said this in a statement signed by Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director, Press, in the ministry on Monday in Abuja.

Ngige said that the crucial conciliatory meeting with be with the president and the executive of NUPENG in his office by 11:30a.m.

NUPENG is currently an affiliate under the United Labour Congress (ULC). Other unions under the ULC includes Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD), National Electricity Employees Union (NUEE); National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), telecommunication unions and Aviation unions.

It would also be recalled the ULC had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government which expired on Sept. 8 over 12-point demands.

ULC is pressing for the following demands that the Ministry of Labour and Employment should set up a task force immediately to carry out factory inspections and review the privatisation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

Others are: that the Army and Police should leave their different work places as they were intimidating and harassing workers in such establishments.

The union want the ministry to immediately release its registration certificate, non inclusion in the minimum wage committee, among others.

The union also issued another seven-day strike notice that will expire on Sept. 15 with a threat to shut down oil, power and aviation sectors.

Ngige had said that the Federal Government had not recognised the ULC as a federation of trade unions and described the planned industrial action as illegitimate.

The post FG to meet with NUPENG over strike appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The unions are the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Aeronautical Information Services Association of Nigeria (AISAN) and the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the unions had earlier at a meeting with the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) dissociated themselves from the strike.

NAN aviation correspondents, who monitored the situation at both the international and domestic wings of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, observed normal flight operations by airlines.

As at 9.30am, over 20 local and international flights had lifted and landed at the airport signifying that the unions had not joined the strike.

NAN reports that the ULC issued the strike notice following government failure to recognise the body as a labour federation despite allegedly fulfilling all conditions stipulated by law.

According to it, the failure of government to recognise the group violates the Constitution of Nigeria which guarantees freedom of association, and the Trade Union Act.

It said that government had thus excluded Congress, which has over 20 registered trade unions, from its intended discussion with labour on the issue of national minimum wage.

The post Aviation unions shun ULC strike, as airlines operate normal flight schedules appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Also, electricity workers, on the platform of National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE, and National Union of Railway Workers, have also asked members to down tools and join the strike.

However, leaders of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Employees, NUBIFIE, said members may not effectively join the strike today because the union just concluded its delegates conference weekend, warning, however, that members would fully join should the strike persist.

But the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, insisted that the ULC was fake, since it was not recognized by government, and urged Nigerians to ignore the group.

Similarly, the Federal Ministry of Labour also held on to its earlier position that the ULC was not recognized by the Federal Government.

The Presidency, through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said last night that the Presidency stands by the Labour Minister’s position that the ULC is not recognised by the Federal Government.

However, leaders of Steel and Engineering Workers of Nigeria, SEWUN, Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ISSSAN, National Union of Lottery Agents and Employees, Nigerian Union of Mine Workers, Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Metal Product Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Fitters Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees and Academic Staff Union of Research Institute, among others, said their members would fully comply with the strike directive by the national leadership of ULC.

Lagos State Chairman of ULC and Lagos zonal chairman of NUPENG, Tokunbo Korodo, said though there was skeletal loading of products weekend, there will be total shut down of all loading activities by members today.

“What that means is that we are not going to load products across the country, including aviation fuel, from today until there is counter directive from the national leaders of our umbrella body, the ULC,” he said.

Similarly General Secretary of NAAPE, Ocheme Aba, said members will fully comply with the strike, noting that that the strike would be handled strategically.

“We are not going to confront anybody, but I can assure you that you will definitely feel the impact of the action,” he said.

In the same vein, Delta State Council of ULC has directed all affiliates in the state to immediately commence total withdrawal of services from today, in compliance with the resolutions of national leadership of the labour centre.

Chairman of the council, Comrade Williams Akporeha, said “We are not deterred but only very worried to hear this sort of comment from respected government officials who allowed undemocratic forces to corrupt and cripple the NLC.

“On behalf of the national leadership of congress, all our members in Delta State are hereby directed to proceed on an indefinite industrial action with immediate effect without fear of intimidation and harassment.

“We shall continue to monitor compliance and effectiveness until the Federal Government meets our demands already sent to the appropriate agents of government.”

Meanwhile, dismissing comments attributed to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, that ULC has not been registered and is therefore an illegal body, President of ULC, Joe Ajaero, said that “ULC does not have any intention of joining issues seriously with the Minister or any other persons but the only thing we can tell them is that they should wait till when the strike commences, for action speaks louder than words.

“He (the minister) has unfortunately not realised that we have to save him and his Ministry which he has allowed to be rubbished by interest groups averse to honest engagements in the sector and the freedom of Nigerian workers by this action.

“We are sure that the minister must have been misquoted. We are not surprised. Let it be placed on record that the laws of our land – the Constitution and the Trade Union Act are on our side and fortunately, Ngige holds no judicial powers which he pretends to wield and cannot pontificate on the legality of ULC.

“He cannot be the person saying this because he knows what the law says on this. Nigerians should remember that TUC operated without certificate for 27 years and that was within the ambit of the law and Ngige knows this, unless he is saying this tongue-in-cheek. We, therefore, pronounce his comments as not only unfortunate but also illegal and should be ignored by all Nigerians.

“This strike on Monday must, therefore, go on, no matter their shenanigans. We must join hands to make it compelling! Don’t allow the ATMs to work, let the banks be closed and let us demonstrate the collective strength of Nigerian workers.

“Let us show once and for all that we can neither be intimidated nor purchased! Let us show them that it is only by meeting our demands that we can back down.”

It will be recalled that the ULC had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum and and another seven-day notice to the Federal Government over an 11-point demand, threatening a nationwide strike should government fail to address the demands.

The seven-day strike notice which was termed “Final Notice”, expired last Friday. The group is demanding, among others, “that the Federal Government bans the stationing of the soldiers and Policemen in our workplaces and factory premises. This will stop employers who are now colluding with the Army and other security agencies from setting up garrisons in our factories for the purposes of intimidating and harassing workers in order to deny them their rights and privileges.

“The Army and the Police should immediately withdraw their garrisons in the different workplaces where they are currently stationed,” among others.

The post FG kicks as oil, electricity workers begin strike appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment said this at a news briefing in Abuja following ULC’s 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, which expired on Sept. 8.

The association further issued another seven-day strike notice that would expire on Sept. 15 with a threat to shut down the oil, power and the aviation sectors.

The demand includes that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment should set up a task force immediately to carry out factory inspection; that Government should review the privatisation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

Others are that the Army and Police should withdraw their men in different work places where they are currently stationed as they intimidate and harass workers in such establishment.

While also that the ULC demands the immediate release of its “Registration Certificate”.

According to Ngige, Didi Adodo, Secretary General of ULC in a statement gave false impression that this Association is a Government recognised Federation of Trade Unions.

“Our immediate reaction is to remind the promoters of this Association that they are not yet a Federal Government recognised Federation of Trade Unions and hence cannot speak on behalf of any Trade union.

“The Trade Union Act. CAP T14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004, is explicitly clear on how a group of Trade Unions can coalesce to form a Federation of Trade Unions.

“Section 35(1)(b) states inter alia “A Federation of Trade Unions may be registered by the Registrar if it is made up of 12 or more Trade Unions none of which shall have been a member of another registered Federation of the Trade Unions.

“The promoters of ULC should fulfill this requirement to qualify to be registered.

“To call out workers on essential services for a national strike without any major trade dispute with their direct employers will be tantamount to blatant violation of our extant labour laws and International standards.’’

He said that Nigerians known that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was the Oldest Federation of the Trade Unions in Nigeria.

He said NLC has been factionalised since after her elections in 2015 and the Ministry of Labour and Employment has been making efforts to resolve the controversies that arose from the disputed elections.

He added that this to government is democracy in the practice of Trade Unionism in Nigeria, saying that a group of Trade Unions are free to ask for registration as a federation if they are dissatisfied with their present federation.

Ngige, however, said they must satisfy the conditions of having 12 new Trade Unions that were not previously affiliate of any of the existing federations; In this case, the Nigeria Labour Congrees(NLC) and Trade Union Congress(TUC).

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Government will not fold her hands and allow any group of persons take the law into their hands.

“That is by brazenly threatening to commit Economic Sabotage by shutting down essential services in the Oil and Gas, Power, and Aviation Sectors as threatened by the promoters of ULC.

“Members of the Trade Unions who are sympathetic to the ULC mentioned are advised to go about their duties in the interest of a peaceful industrial relations environment and for the good of our national economy,” Ngige said.

The minister assured all Nigerians that government would ensure security in all work places.

The post FG dismisses ULC strike threat, says body not yet recongised Trade Union appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.