₦airaland Forum

STRIKE: LABOUR MINISTER INVITES NLC FOR MEETING

The Minister of Labour and Employment Simon Bako Lalong has again invited the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC for another meeting over its planned indefinite strike.

The Minister who directed the Department of Trade Unions Services and Industrial Relations to convene a meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for Monday 18th September 2023 said it was important that the Unions sit with Government to resolve all pending matters to avert further disruption to the economy.

According to the Minister, the administration of President Bola Tinubu will always engage the organised labour and respond to its concerns after due consultation and negotiations in order to guarantee industrial harmony which is critical to the attainment of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

It would be recalled that the Minister had invited the two Labour centres for talks to avert the 2 day strike held between 5th and 6th September, but only the TUC showed up for the meeting.

Olajide Oshundun
Director Information,
Ministry of Labour and Employment
17th September 2023.

A General remains a General

respect

Brilliant yoruba man. Make Peter Gringory to show him result make we see.

DSS couldn't wait for him to even take small liquor before arresting him?

Grid collapse or not, it doesn’t make any difference, virtually everyday the situation remains the same; power failure every now and then

Let's go bro! You can do it!

Post-subsidy talks: Labour threatens indefinite strike, gives one week ultimatum

13th September 2023

•Giving a bag of rice to 12 people, N100m to each lawmaker insulting – Labour

•Govt has absconded from negotiation table, fails to meet workers’ demands, says NLC

Barely one week after leading a two-day nationwide warning strike, the organised labour on Tuesday threatened to begin an indefinite strike should the Federal Government fail to meet its demands at the end of a 21-day ultimatum which will expire in approximately one week’s time.

The workers union said the proposed strike was necessary following the failure of the Federal Government to provide palliatives to assuage the Nigerians hardships as a result of the fuel subsidy removal.

The Nigeria Labour Congress said the industrial action which may commence any day from next week would lead to an indefinite shutdown of commercial and economic activities across the country.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Tuesday, the National Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Christopher Onyeka, said the FG was wrong to share a bag of rice to a dozen citizens while reportedly giving N100m palliative to each member of the National Assembly.

The union had on September 1 handed down a 21-day ultimatum to the FG over the delay in sharing of palliatives, saying it might be compelled to declare an indefinite labour action if its demands were not met.

“If the government fails to provide the appropriate responses to our demands, we encourage you to maintain your steadfast resolve. The same passion and determination that fuelled this warning strike will be crucial if we find ourselves compelled to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike,’’ the labour body said in a letter to the FG.

To demonstrate its seriousness, the NLC mobilised workers for a two-day warning strike on September 5 and 6, partially grounding social and economic activities in several states with banks, ministries, agencies and departments closed to the public in some states.

The NLC leadership had said the action was in preparation for a total shutdown which would start at the expiration of the ultimatum next week.

Among other demands, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress were asking for wage awards, implementation of palliatives, tax exemptions and allowances to the public sector workers and a review of the minimum wage.

Though the FG made a commitment to restructure the framework for engagement with organised Labour on palliatives, the eight-week timeframe set for the conclusion of the process expired in August with no action whatsoever.

The committees were given eight weeks to conclude their assignment and hasten the implementation of the framework in cushioning the effect of petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians but weeks after the timeframe expired, the sub-committees had yet to meet or actualise their mandates.

President Bola Tinubu had since June 19 set up the Presidential Steering Committee and various sub-committees to discuss the framework to be adopted on the palliatives.

The sub-committees had been created to implement FG’s palliative package in areas such as Cash Transfers, Social Investment Programme, Cost of Governance, Energy, and Mass Transit and Housing.

This was a fall-out of the President’s closed-door session with the leadership of the NLC and the TUC during a nationwide protest by the organised labour.

Nationwide protest

Giving an update on the planned walk out following the lukewarm attitude of the government, Onyeka insisted that the FG had absconded from the negotiation table, noting that it had also failed to meet the workers’ demands.

The union leader hinted that the strike would not notify the government before carrying out any action it deems fit.

He said, “We sent the letter to the Federal Government on September 1, 2023, so by September 22, 2023, the 21-day ultimatum will end.

“We have made it clear that the Federal Government has abandoned and absconded from the table for negotiation; that government is no longer negotiating with Nigerians and there is no good faith negotiation that is going on.’’

“President Bola Tinubu promised Nigerians on his own on the television with the President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, that he was going to restructure the committees, but he did not do that, and since then the committees have not met and there has been no negotiation that is on-going. As it is, NLC is not negotiating with the government,” Onyeka said.

The Assistant General Secretary said Nigerians were insulted by the inadequate palliative being given.

He lamented, “Can you see the insult that a ward would share a bag of rice and the government calls that a palliative? It is an insult to Nigerians, whereas the government gave legislators N70bn and each of the legislators gets over N100m in a country where Nigerians are suffering.

“The FG is buying cars and houses of over N100m for each person and Nigerians are keeping quiet as if what is going on is a normal thing. NLC calls Nigerians to join hands together because they cannot do it alone.

‘’When NLC calls for action, people should come out, they should because it is a collective effort to make the government yield to the desires and the interest of Nigerians.”

Workers who spoke to our correspondents said they have been badly affected by the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy, urging the government to quickly cushion the pains.

In order to beat the harsh economic situation, civil servants said they have been devising various survival strategies, including skipping work as well as engaging in farming and trading to augment their incomes.

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Some workers in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Lagos revealed that their organisations have reduced the number of work hours and days.

They further noted that their organisations had also adopted the work-from-home model which became popular during the lockdown period following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

An Abuja-based civil servant, Judith Obiora said, “Most of the offices at the Federal Secretariat are no longer filled up as they used to be before the fuel subsidy removal. Now, we only come to the office twice or thrice a week.”

A civil servant who is planning to relocate abroad said he could no longer cope with the high cost of living.

He said, “The situation in Nigeria is very terrible because the minimum wage no longer meets the cost of living. Civil servants are suffering because the prices of things have increased, and it is tough to cope these days.

“By the time you weigh everything, you will see that it is not worth it. Even as a businessman in this country, getting customers to patronise you is difficult, and getting your profit from the work you are doing is hard.”

A worker, who identified himself as Friday, said he had been going to work three times a week to cut costs.

He said, “It has greatly affected me because I can’t afford to go to work Monday through Friday anymore. I go three times a week. Even if the directors have their ways, they won’t show up.

“The effect of the subsidy removal is general. The bus provided for my area is an 18-seater bus but we have over 50 staff living in Kuje, and the senior staff always get preference over the junior staff.

‘’The junior staff members are left behind. I don’t even try boarding the bus because I don’t want any senior staff member to talk to me anyhow (disrespectfully).”

Hard times

A staff member of a prominent agency who wished to be known as Vivian stated, “It has been tough, especially in the area of feeding. Things are very expensive, and for people like us who still have young children, it has been quite difficult meeting up.

“If it is an adult, you can still manage, but how do you tell a child that the money is not enough? Also, in the area of transportation, it has been very difficult. For instance, the transport fare that used to be N100 before has jumped to N300, and when you calculate it, you will find out that the easiest thing to do is to work remotely once in a while.”

A civil servant who identified herself as Sade said she and her husband had been having sleepless nights over the survival of their family.

She lamented, “I was at the market yesterday, and I screamed. Things are too expensive. Honestly, we can’t continue like this. Apart from the high food prices, the school fees of my children have increased, and my husband and I have been having sleepless nights trying to manage ourselves.”

One Mr Kunle Adams, who worked with a federal agency, said he had been forced to become a cab driver in order to generate extra income.

He noted, “I usually do not like to pick passengers when going to work, but I have been doing it to cover the amount I spent on fuel. I once tried parking my car at home, but it was not convenient for me to do so; otherwise, I would have dropped it because it is cost-effective.

‘’If you are talking about high prices of commodities, that is everywhere, so who am I not to be affected? If only the government could intervene, it would be lovely.’’

Lamenting the situation, Ade Abayomi, a Lagos-based civil servant said, “It’s not been easy since the subsidy removal was announced. But I think the government has been reasonable too. I only go to work about thrice in a week these days.”

Hassan Ahmed, who works with a federal parastatal in Abuja, admitted that he works remotely and only visits the office occasionally.

“The cash crunch is affecting everyone, including government organisations and private companies and individuals. Most of us now work from home. I only go to the office occasionally now,” he disclosed.

The Ekiti State NLC Chairman, Kolapo Olatunde, declared that the workers were working under harsh conditions since the Federal Government removed the fuel subsidy.

Olatunde, who said the fuel subsidy removal had led to an increase in the prices of goods and services, justified the need for salary increment.

“If you must fill your car tank now with petrol, you must have over N35,000 and that won’t serve you for two weeks. It means you have to fill your tank twice amounting to N70,000 to take you for four weeks.

‘’If you are a civil servant from whichever level to grade level 14, I am not sure the salary is up to that on a monthly basis. The equation is not balanced, that is the truth. That is why the government should have a listening ear,” Olatunde said.

The NLC leader, who said reducing the working days was not the solution, noted, “The solution is to give workers what is required of them to do their work effectively so that at the end of the day, there will be a positive plough-back.

“If you go to the office to solve problems, someone is now saying don’t come to the office twice or thrice in a week, who solves the problems of those days? It means that the office is not doing anything. It means we are deceiving ourselves. ‘’

“Then, what becomes of the unemployed if you are asking the employed people to stay at home? Definitely, that is a brighter picture that people will no longer be employed,” he concluded.

Kwara workers

In Kwara State, workers go to their offices three times a week in order to save money in view of the high cost of petrol.

The state government had earlier directed the workers to report for work three times and added N10,000 to their salaries pending the review of the minimum wage.

A female civil servant simply identified as Lola, explained that since the fuel subsidy was removed, she had been going to work thrice a week.

‘’Workers in my office agreed that we should be reporting in the office three times a week. We have agreed on which days to come to the office since the government said that we should come to work for three days in a week,’’ she noted.

She complained about the high cost of transportation which she said had increased by 200 per cent.

‘’I have been reporting for work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday while others also selected other days of the week when they come to the office. In my house, we have also reduced the quantity of food we eat. We only eat in the morning and evening.

‘’On days that I don’t go to work, I supplement the feeding of my two children with garri in the afternoon if they complain of hunger as they are presently on holiday,” Lola stated.

A worker in the governor’s office, Mallam Makun Abdullahi, revealed that he had stopped bulk purchase of foodstuffs from the cooperative society as he used to do on a monthly basis.

“Though the government has added N10,000 to our monthly salary, it cannot take us anywhere. Our salary is no longer enough to feed our family. I am also involved in farming where I go on days I don’t go to work.”

Public workers in Sokoto State explained that many of them do not come to the office every day in order to save money on transportation.

Some of the civil servants in the state who spoke with our correspondent confirmed that the arrangement in most cases was among the junior staff without the knowledge of their boss.

A state worker said, “We have some arrangements among ourselves to deal with the situation even though it’s without the knowledge of the management but we cover for ourselves.

“Most of us use the spare time for farming as part of our own little way to tackle the current hardship.”

The Sokoto State NLC Chairman, Abdullahi Aliyu, and his secretary, Hamisu Yanduna, were unavailable for comment.

Punch Newspapers

One goes to the gym to be healthy, not to impress the ladies.

I've known this man to be a talkative since the iraq war.

If tinubu is a forger or a crook,come out with the facts and evidence or ever keep your mouth shut.

The biggest embarrassment is for a top government official not to appreciate/ridicule your job on national tv

Someone said Ajuri na Lie Mohammed wey go private school...People no get joy ontop this platform

Pakistan of all the places on earth... Pakistanis wey dey run go London, Europe and America

garriAndsugar:
happy birthday my Original first lady

mere looking at her you will see she has peace of mind because her husband did not:

1)engage in drug activities
2)launder and forfeit $460k of drug money
3) forge certificates
4)Lie about working for deloitte
5)snatch and grab power by all cost

Ode

Nothing lasts forever

A big congratulations to her, her constituency and Kogi State.

Wednesday 6th September is here, I have called on NEMA to be prepared for emergencies as flood of cry will fill all water channels in Abuja, Lagos, Anambra and others.

The earlier we understand that we must make naija a better place,the better for us

Let’s see how this turns out

The National Executive Committee of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has expelled its presidential candidate in the recent general elections and former governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, from the party following his alleged refusal to appear before the Disciplinary Committee.

Recall that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NNPP set up a Disciplinary Committee and directed it to invite Kwankwaso to defend allegations of gross anti party activities and mismanagement of party/campaign funds within five days.

The NEC had warned that, failure to appear before the Disciplinary Committee, Kwankwaso would be expelled from the party in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution 2022 (as amended).



Consequently, Mr Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, the Acting National Publicity Secretary of NNPP, said in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, that the NEC had expelled Kwankwaso with immediate effect because of his refusal to honour the committee’s invitations.



Abdulrasaq said: “The NEC met in an emergency session on Friday, Sept 1. and resolved as follows:



“Following the refusal of Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to appear before the disciplinary committee which sat on Thursday, Aug. 31 after being duly invited in writing, he is hereby expelled from NNPP with immediate effect.



“That the erstwhile presidential candidate, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will be reported to appropriate quarters to answer questions on financial impropriety relating to mismanagement of public funds.”



The crisis within the NNPP started when the NWC of the party loyal to Kwankwaso, announced the suspension of the NNPP founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam and the National Publicity Secretary, Dr Agbo Major on August 24.


https://saharareporters.com/2023/09/05/breaking-nnpp-expels-presidential-candidate-rabiu-kwankwaso-party-crisis-deepens

Why is it that anything good cannot be implemented automatically but If they give directives tomorrow that fuel will sell for 1k, before sunset, implementation has taken place already.

Wednesday 6th September is here, I have called on NEMA to be prepared for emergencies as flood of cry will fill all water channels in Abuja, Lagos, Anambra and others.

Wednesday 6th September is here, I have called on NEMA to be prepared for emergencies as flood of cry will fill all water channels in Abuja, Lagos, Anambra and others.

Naija tu pac

Lazy bunch. They should work hard for their own.

The money has finished they want more!

I have it on good authority that Gold is fuelling the killings and won't stop anytime soon.

The FG is perfectly inline with this directive.

The Nigeria Labour Congres (NLC) has declared a two-day warning strike over the effect of petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians.

The strike is to commence on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, according to the NLC.

President Bola Tinubu had declared an end on subsidy within his first hour in office, tripling the price of petrol from N197 per litre to N617.

NLC had kicked against subsidy removal and staged a nationwide protest to call on government not to plunge the masses into hardship.

President Bola Tinubu had subsequently hosted Labour leaders at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Details later…


https://dailytrust.com/just-in-nlc-declares-warning-strike-over-subsidy-removal/

BREAKING: Actor Ninalowo, wife go separate ways

A Nollywood actor, Ninalowo Bolanle, on Friday, revealed that he has parted ways with his wife, Bunmi.

In a lengthy post on his verified Instagram page, the actor said he had finally accepted the "reality of the end of a road"

Details later...

The US Embassy in Haiti has ordered all Americans in the country to leave immediately due to the ongoing political instability and civil unrest. The embassy said in a statement that the security situation in Haiti has deteriorated significantly in recent days and that there is a high risk of violence and kidnapping.

Here are some of the specific incidents that have led to the US Embassy's decision to order all Americans to leave Haiti:

On July 7, 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home by a group of armed men.

On August 14, 2021, Prime Minister Ariel Henry was appointed by the Haitian government to succeed Moïse.

On September 17, 2021, a group of armed men attacked the Haitian National Palace, but were repelled by security forces.

On October 17, 2021, a gang blockaded the main road leading to the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, in protest of the government's failure to address the country's security crisis.

On November 13, 2021, a gang kidnapped 17 members of a US-based missionary group in Port-au-Prince. The group was later released.

On December 17, 2021, a gang kidnapped 16 people, including two US citizens, in Port-au-Prince. The victims were later released.

The current political crisis in Haiti began in July 2021, when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated. Since then, there has been no clear successor to Moïse, and the country has been in a state of political limbo. This has led to widespread protests and violence, and the security situation has deteriorated significantly.


https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-embassy-haiti-urges-citizens-leave-country-as-soon-possible-2023-08-30/

Following the wave of coup in Africa continent, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has reshuffled his military commanders.

According to DW Africa disclosed this via its official Facebook page and wrote:

90-year-old Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has reshuffled his military commanders. Biya has been in power since 1982. The key changes in the country’s ministry of defense, comes shortly after the coup in Gabon. Do you think the recent events in Gabon inspired this move?


https://nkirukanistoran.com/breaking-90-year-old-cameroons-president-paul-biya-reshuffles-military-commanders/