Business

Wage Increase: Delta Workers Shelve Strike

Published

15 years ago

March 9, 2011

The Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) of Delta State Public Service has suspended its strike action, one day into the indefinite strike called over some issues with the State Government.

The chairman of the Council (Union Side) Comrade Tony Toki, who announced the suspension of the strikes Saturday shortly after a meeting with the State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, directed workers to resume work on Monday.

Workers in the state had embarked on strike over non payment of the new harmonised and consolidated public service salary structure (relativity salary), contributory pension scheme, and failure by the state government to absorb casual workers among other issues.

The chairman disclosed that a committee has been set up to work out the details of the agreement, but warned that the strike will resume if government and the negotiating team failed to reach an agreement.

His words “we have suspended the strike and workers in the state should resume work on Monday”

Speaking in the same vein the vice chairman of the Delta State Public Service Joint Negotiating Council Comrade Oweijifogha Menone said the strike was suspended to allow Government and labour meet and come out with positive action.

Comrade Menone said the period will be used to work out the nitty gritty and document properly the agreement reached.

He commended the workforce for demonstrating solidarity, maturity and peaceful disposition towards the strike.

The vice chairman also expressed appreciation to the State Government for its labour friendly attitude.

Government’s official activity in the Delta State public service had been paralysed as workers in the state embarked on an indefinite strike action as schools, public offices, including ministries and parastatals were closed down.

Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan had complained that funds accruing to the state was meagre and would seek for funds from the capital market to meet the new salary structure for workers in the state.

“I don’t know what to do. The funds coming to the state are not enough. It is even worse now that salaries are being increased at will. When I became governor in 2007, the wage bill was not up to N3 billion but now, for the state and its 25 LGAs to function, there must be a review of the formula, so that we can pay the new salary.”

The workers’ strike action, which was indefinite, commenced on Friday 4th March 2011, following failure of the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan or his agents to meet with labour unions to address the lingering and unresolved issues of workers’ welfare in the state.

The JNC/JAC statement had said, “We wish to refer to the various fruitless efforts made by the Delta State Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) to meet with His Excellency, the Governor with a view to resolving the grievances of workers which border on a number of welfare issues and to inform His Excellency the Governor that JNC has met and finally resolved that the Delta State Government should meet the demands of the workers of the Delta State public service.”

The Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) had earlier issued an ultimatum to the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to hasten the processes of ensuring that the demands of every worker in the state public service are met within 14 days from Friday 18th February 2011.

The ultimatum issued by nine affiliate unions warned that “in the event of the state Government’s inability to meet the demands, JNC will not be able to restrain the restive workers from proceeding on an indefinite strike action with effect from Friday 4th March 2011″.

The suspended strike action was called at the instance of the Joint Action Congress (JAC) and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) of labour unions in the state, which include the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees (AUPCCTRE), Agricultural and Allied Employees Union (AAEU), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), National Union of Printing Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPPROW), National Union of Civil Service Secretarial and Allied Workers (NUCSSAW), Radio Television Theatre and Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) as well as the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Business

PENGASSAN Tasks Multinationals On Workers’ Salary Increase

Published

10 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has asked companies in the oil and gas sector to undertake urgent review of salaries of their workers in view of the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country.

Also, the pensioners of Chevron Nigeria, under the aegis PenCoN, have lauded the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo and his executive on their unrelenting efforts toward addressing pension abnormalities faced by retired workers in the oil and gas industry.

The association also appealed to the federal government to take necessary measures to check banditry and terrorist activities in parts of the country.

PENGASSAN President, Osifo who addressed journalists shortly after the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, at the weekend, said that though a lot of success has been recorded in negotiating salary reviews for its members, there are still organisations that have failed to lift their workers from the present harsh economic situation.

He said within this period, PENGASSAN has signed numerous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) which has brought smiles to the faces of its teeming members.

“This is because we recognise that our job, literally, is how to protect the job of our members, and how to enhance their pay,” he said.

Osifo said that operators in the oil and gas sectors always go for the best qualified professionals to carry out their operations.

“So, the same way they recruit the best, we also challenge them to provide the best condition of service and provide the best remuneration.

“Yes, today, a lot of companies will have achieved successes, but there are still few that we are still discussing at their CBAs, that we are not yet there.

“We still use this opportunity to call on these companies that are still foot dragging, that are still holding back, even with the massive devaluation that has occurred in our country, that still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members.

“We are calling on them to do the needful, because for us in PENGASSAN we will push without holding back. We will push, using everything in our arsenal, to ensure that the needful is done,” he said.

Osifo spoke of the dispute with the Dangote Refinery group, saying there are still pending issues to be resolved.

“Gentlemen of the press, during the networking session, we also looked at the issues that are plaguing some of our branches, and you know that recently, we had some challenges in Dangote Refinery and PetroChemicals Ltd.

“And within this period, since our last National Industrial Action, we have been engaging them in a lot of conversations, but the issues are not fully resolved. There are still a lot of pending issues.

“Yes, the NEC decided that, yes, let us still consummate that process by pushing those issues, by engaging in dialogue to resolve the issues, and by also engaging all our social partners and stakeholders to get the issues resolved,” he said.

Business

SEC Unveils Digital Regulatory Hub To Boost Oversight Across Financial Markets

Published

10 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched the Regulatory Hub, a new centralized digital platform designed to streamline collaboration, strengthen oversight, and improve transparency across Nigeria’s financial and capital market ecosystem.

The Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.

According to the commission, the platform connects key regulatory and security institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), enabling them to exchange information securely and in real time.

The launch of this regulatory hub comes ahead of the implementation of new tax laws in January 2026, with agencies such as the FIRS spreading its tentacles across sector to monitor compliance.

According to the SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, the launch marks a significant step toward modernizing Nigeria’s regulatory framework through technology.

“The Regulatory Hub is a major step in our commitment to leverage technology for stronger regulatory synergy. By connecting regulators on one platform, we are building resilience, enhancing market integrity, and promoting investor confidence,” he said.

The SEC said the platform would help reduce bottlenecks in regulatory processes and facilitate faster, more informed decision-making across agencies.

Reinforcing the DG’s comments, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, Bola Ajomale, highlighted the operational benefits of the new system.

“The platform will significantly improve the timeliness and quality of regulatory decision-making. It provides a single window for regulators to share data, respond to requests, and collaborate seamlessly in safeguarding our financial and capital markets,” he said.

The commission believes the Regulatory Hub would support its broader mandate to strengthen investor protection, enhance market stability, and harmonize regulatory activities across the financial sector.

It urged stakeholders to initiate interest by emailing the Commission, adding that once registered, participants would be able to access the Hub and take advantage of its features.

Business

NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products

Published

10 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing circulation of banned food products across markets in the country.

The agency, in a Press Release dated 6 December 2025, warned that these items including pasta, noodles, sugar and tomato paste are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are illegal to import.

NAFDAC stated that the sale and distribution of such prohibited items violate national trade laws, compromise the integrity of Nigeria’s food control system, and pose significant public health risks, as they have not undergone the agency’s mandatory safety and quality evaluations.

Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.

The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.

The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.

“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.

NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu