Business

Labour: Leadership Failure And Workers’ Future In Nigeria

Published

8 years ago

July 25, 2016

The History of all hitherto
existing society is the history of class struggles, Karl Marx.
The organized Labour movement today represents the hopes of the downtroden and poor workers, caged and enslaved by fellow human beings under several guises in the class struggles of survival.
Through the organised labour movement the workers have had the opportunity to resist obnoxious working policies, overcome their enslavement as they are regarded as tools in the exploitative tendencies of the employers and owners of capital in the means of production and reproduction processes.
Also, the organised labour movement through unionisation has helped to galvanise the workers and their affiliate unions to unite and fight for better working conditions from the exploitative employers whose only primary motive is profit maximisation. But the labour movement has now been infiltrated and penetrated by various exploitative tendencies to create disunity and crisis within the once united movement.
Today,from all available indications, there is a complete failure of leadership within the organised labour movement emanating from the rescheduled election of March 12, 2015 in Abuja where officers so elected were not accepted by a faction of the congress.
The outcome of the NLC National election of 2015 factionalised the congress across two lines with two parallel executives at the state level in most States such as Rivers, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Kano, Oyo, Kwara, among others.
Accordingly, National President of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Igwe Achese, said that the root of the crisis within the labour movement was the refusal of the immediate past National President of NLC, Comrade Abduhaweed Omar to keep to the understanding of rotational leadership of NLC between the private and public sectors.
Achese said that there was an understanding that the NLC’s President shall rotate between the private and public sectors and upon that agreement, Comrade Adam Oshiomole from the private sector became the NLC President and consequently handed over to Comrade Abduhaweed Omar of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) from the public sector.
In keeping with the precedents within the central labour body, some labour leaders and affiliate unions have wanted the private sector unions to produce the NLC National President during the then 2015 National Delegates Election Conference in the person of Comrade Joe Ajaero, secretary general, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) now NLC factional National President.
But the then outgoing NLC President Abduhaweed Omar rather preferred to handover to Comrade Wabba Ayuba of the public sector Union Medical Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) as against the precedent in rotational leadership of NLC President.
The crisis of leadership within the NLC has polarised the labour movement into two ideological phase of centripetal and centrifugal l forces of labour struggle in Nigeria.
Thus the centre can no longer hold within the organised labour movement, even for them to speak up against the comatose nature of the economy, high rate of unemployment and ills in the country.
In Rivers State, NLC is factionalised between Comrade Beatrice Itubo and Addah Williams both claiming to be NLC State Chairman respectively, with the Itubo’s faction affiliating to Comrade Wabba Ayuba that is advocating N56,000 minimum wage with its labour headquarters in Abuja, while Comrade Addah Williams affiliating to Comrade Joe Ajaero’s faction advocating N90,000 minimum wage for workers with its labour headquarters in Lagos.
The workers have hoped and expected that the labour crisis could be resolved soon, but that is far from the truth as the lingering crisis persists.
As the leadership tussle rages on, the workers welfare and protection of their rights in the face of the economic reality have been relegated to the background by the factions, rather their individual aggrandisement and economic interest have overshadowed the predicaments faced by workers.
Speaking to The Tide, William said the labour crisis went beyond him and Beatrice Itubo, that the crisis was a national crisis within the labour movement in Nigeria.
The labour leadership crisis has actually eroded their sense of responsibility of rising to the challenges of tackling government to address the downward trend in economic activities and its multipliers effects on planned programmes and policies in both public and private sectors of the economy.
The labour leadership has failed to proffer any alternative platform of constructive criticism of the macro-economic policies of the government both at the State and National levels.
But the Itubo faction said she was the authentic NLC chairman even as she however called on the state government to timeously consider the payment of arrears of salaries of workers as a priority.
On the issue of the Contributory Pension Scheme, the factional NLC chairman, drew the attention of the State Government to the myriad of challenges associated with the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme which include non-remittance of contributions of the workers and employees into the retirement savings accounts. Others are the non-sincerity of implementation by the pension fund administrators, the faith of the worker when the amount contributed was exhausted while the worker was still alive.
Equally, Williams said the workers totally reject the monstrous, dreaded, controversial, objectionable and anti-workers policy called, Contributory Pension and rather advocated for the re-introduction of “ONE-STOP- SHOP” for pensioners abandoned by the previous administration.
They both called for the restructuring of the Primary Health Care Management Board for greater efficiency and service delivery by adhering to the provisions of the establishing law of the board which provide that the Medical and Health Worker Union in Nigeria (MHWUN) Rivers State council shall be one of the trustees of the board.
They stressed that the present composition of the board violated this provisions of the law, and they on behalf of the organised labour, demanded that the Health Care Management Board addressed poor producitivity and feeling of disenchantment.
On the issue of enhanced productivity, Itubo calls for prompt conduct and release of promotions across board, provision of imprest and over head cost to head teachers and principals of schools for effective service delivery, restoration of Christmas bonus to the workers which has not been paid for the last three years, Williams also supported the payment of Christmas bonus and called for the stoppage of over deduction with particular reference to check off dues; the need for the provision of logistics and operational vehicles to ministries, departments and agencies as well.
The re-enactment of transparent revolving housing and car loan scheme as well as renovation of sections of the state secretariat complex to ensure conducive working environment.
However, the umbrella employers body, the Nigeria employers Conbullative Association (NECA) has urged the warring factions to reconcile in the interests of the Central Labour Organisation forging a common unity on national issues.
The Director General of NECA, Olusegun Oshinowo said that the disagreement over the leadership of NLC has made negotiations of labour issues difficult for employers in the country.
Speaking to The Tide Comrade Wari Anthony called for the quick resolution of the labour crisis in the country to give focus to the labour movement and ensure that the welfare of the workers are adequately given priority attention.
He said the crisis has affected the organised labour movement in the country to the extent that the labour cannot speak with one voice on the issue of common interest of the workers.
State Chairman Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU) Rivers State Comrade Lilly West, said the labour was united in the State and that Comrade Beatrice Itubo remained the authentic Chairman of the NLC in the State and that she commanded the majority support of the affiliate unions in NLC.
Lilly West urged the Williams faction to work with Itubo to . ensure that workers welfare was given priority attention as workers were the live-wire of every state and nation to achieve a vibrant, strong, productive and efficient economy.
It is our contention that the organised labour and their affiliates unions must be repositioned and reinvigorated with a total commitment, dedication, zeal and vista for proper quest of the nation’s economic revival and improvement in the lives of the ordinary people and workers.
They should pre-occupy their minds with proferring drastic actions on how to fix the nation’s economy for more jobs creation, prompt salaries payment to workers rather than unnecessary leadership tussle, supremacy wrangling and brigandage that cannot move the labour movement forward to benefit the workers.
With unity within the labour movement leadership the welfare of the workers would considerably be given priority attention by government at both national and state levels in terms of prompt salaries payment as at when due, prompt release of promotion results, payment of accruing benefit arrears to the workers and improvement in their living condition.

Business

Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

The Tide

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum, has exonerated its members from the current fuel scarcity in the country.

According to IPMAN, this is caused by its inability to source petroleum products.

The IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum also threatened to withdraw its services over non-payment of N200 billion bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to its members, since 2022.

Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, the Chairman, of the Forum said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Alhassan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) was the sole importer of the product, but the marketers could not source products from NNPC Ltd. deport, rather from the private depots at high rate.

“We cannot buy fuel from the private depots at N950 and transport the product from Lagos to the North and other parts of the country with N2 million and still sell it at N900 or N1, 000.

“It is expedient for us to state that we are more pained by the non-availability of petroleum products in the country, which has given rise to another round of untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Contrary to claims that IPMAN members are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as fuel, we would like to categorically state that PMS scarcity is wholly triggered by inability to get fuel from NNPC and not IPMAN,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Ltd. Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye said the disruption was due to logistical issues which had since been resolved.

“We currently have an availability of products exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days. Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits. Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain,’’ Soneye said.

He however, said the lines would clear out soon.

On the non-payment of bridging claims, the IPMAN forum said it was distressed and depressed by the laidback attitude of the NMDPRA towards the survival its member’s businesses, arising from its refusal in paying the claims.

“It is with deep frustration that we have assembled here today as the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum. It is also disheartening to note that some of our members have completely shut down businesses and retrenched employees.

“As businessmen and women, our members acquired bank loans to keep their fuel retail outlets running on a daily basis across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in order to serve the teeming population of Nigerians,’’ Alhassan said.

He recalled that Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), at a stakeholders meeting in February mandated the NMDPRA management to clear the entire debt in 40 days.

“However, today, we have crossed the 40 days’ time lapse given to the NMDPRA to clear the debt, and it is shameful to state that only the paltry sum of N13 billion has been paid, ignoring minister’s directive.

“We are not happy with the indiscriminate increment in the issuance and renewal of Sales and Storage Licence, by the NMDPRA, and the subsequent delays in acquiring the licence, which our members are recently subjected to.

“We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into this unwholesome figure which is highly detrimental to our business and reverse it forthwith, as it is bound to impact negatively on the masses.

“We are poised to take far reaching decisions that may cripple the supply and sales of petroleum products across Nigeria if our demands are not met within the shortest period of time.

“We are collectively prepared to withdraw our services, shut down every single outlet, and suspend lifting of products forthwith till our demands are fully met, and the consequences will be terrible.

“We call on our members to however remain resolute and law abiding, even as we draw close to the immediate ultimatum for our demands to be met by the NMDPRA,’’ the chairman said.

Reacting to the IPMAN’s claims, the Acting Head, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Seiyefa Osanebi said the bridging claims payment was ongoing.

“The bridging claims payment is always an ongoing process,” she said.

Maritime

Shippers’ Council Registers 160 Port Operators

Published

6 days ago

April 29, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.

Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.

By: Chinedu Wosu