Dr Godiya Ishaya, the National President of NARD, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja.

Ishaya said that the association reviewed its position due to the commitment the government was showing in implementing its demands.

He said that if the government met all demands within six weeks, the association would review the suspension and end the strike.

“We did not call off the strike but suspended it for six weeks to give room for the government to do the needful.

“If the government does what is required of it, we will review the suspension in six weeks and decide on what steps to take next.

“The agreement between NARD and the FG was signed early this year, it is the issue of implementation that led us to the strike.

“We agreed to suspend the strike because we saw that the government was beginning to show commitment.”

Ishaya said that the government’s commitment pushed the association to hold an emergency National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting to review its stand.

According to the NARD president, when you are on the negotiating table, you have to shift some ground; when you see that the other party is ready to shift their ground, you reconsider.

He recalled that when the strike commenced, the government had insisted on its position of taking the association to court but it reconsidered and tried to negotiate with the association.

“The government extended its goodwill to the association,” Ishaya said.

He said that since the government decided to shift grounds by making tangible efforts to meet the association’s demands, the association had also decided to reciprocate by suspending the strike.

He said that the suspension would also give the association time to monitor the government’s implementation of its demands.

“Our decision is in line with any system of negotiation where if the other party shifts grounds, you also should shift grounds; that is the reason we held an emergency congress meeting and decided on the suspension.

“The suspension was decided upon even though many members did not agree with it. By suspending the strike, the association is putting the government on trial again just as we have always done.

“This will allow us to see if the government will keep to its promise. We have considered that we have masses in our midst who cannot afford to travel abroad for medical tourism and do not have the means to go to private hospitals.

“These individuals are the ones bearing the brunt of the strike hence the need to suspend the strike to enable them to access health services.”

Ishaya urged all resident doctors to resume work trusting that the leadership of the association will do all it can to ensure that the government implements the agreement signed with the association.

He said that the implementation of the association’s demands by the federal government would be monitored to the latter in the coming weeks.

“We do not like going on strike because we have been trained to care for people medically and we should be seen to be doing that.

“It is in that light that we also agreed to suspend the strike while reviewing the government’s response.

The NARD strike began on August 1.

Some of the demands made by NARD include immediate salary payment to all house officers and an upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated salaries of all health workers.

Other demands are payment of outstanding COVID-19 allowance and payment of death in service insurance for all health workers, who died as a result of COVID-19 infection, or other infectious diseases in the country.

NARD also insists that salary shortfalls of 2014, 2015, and 2016, owed members in state and federal health institutions be paid.

Since the commencement of the strike by the resident doctors, healthcare delivery in state and federal public health facilities has remained epileptic with only consultants and National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, doctors available in most facilities to cater to the health needs of the public.

Source: NAN

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Mr Biobelemoye Josiah, JOHESU national chairman, reiterated the call in a press statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja.

The union had on September 2, issued the federal government a 15-day ultimatum to meet its demands without which it will embark on nationwide strike at the expiry date.

However, this followed a unanimous resolution adopted by the expanded National Executive Council meeting of JOHESU, and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations, AHPA, to step down the notice of strike that expired mid-night September 17 and issued a fresh notice of 15 days.

According to Josiah, “We wish to remind the federal government to act before it is too late on the fresh 15 days notice as contained in our communique issued on September 17, at the end of the last expanded NEC meeting.

“It will be recalled that the expanded NEC of JOHESU, professional associations and other affiliate unions had on September 17, critically appraised the reports of JOHESU negotiation and conciliation meetings with federal government.

“That is since the declaration of the trade dispute through the earlier 15 days strike notice issued on September 2, which expired on September 18.

“It is pertinent to draw the attention of the federal government to our fresh 15 days strike notice, which is billed to expire in the next few days and for it to act to avoid a shutdown of hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

“We wish also to inform the general public that our NEC noted the appeal from President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to show understanding with his administration and the president’s pledge to pay any debt owed health workers.

“We would also wish to note that some of the resolutions reached at the end of our meeting are to show that we are not strike mongers, but just for the federal government to act according to agreements reached,” he said.

He added that they had asked the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure speedy circularisation of all establishment and welfare matters as agreed during negotiation meetings.

JOHESU national chairman said that the union had also asked the federal government to ensure a new data for the computation of the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure, CONHESS, for JOHESU members.

“That this should be completed and submitted to the ‘High Level Body (HLB)’ of the federal government not later than September 22, as agreed.

“We also urged the federal government to ensure that the HLB complete and submit the computation of the adjusted CONHESS for inclusion in the 2022 budget on or before September 30, submission window.

“We charged the federal government to reciprocate the patriotic humanitarian gesture of JOHESU in the interest of the larger Nigerian masses to expeditiously resolve all the demands within the 15 days window.

“While we push for better welfare and conditions of service for our members, we urge the federal government to reflect the promises of Mr President in the activities relating to our demands to ensure continuous industrial harmony in the health sector,” he said.

Source: NAN

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The strike is to compel the federal government to address their demands, a statement from the unions has said.

The unions involved are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and Non Academic Staff Union of the Universities, NASU.

Mr Peters Adeyemi, NASU General Secretary, made the decision to embark on the strike known in a statement jointly signed by Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU president, on Thursday, in Abuja.

The JAC of the two unions  – NASU and SSANU – had last week threatened to embark on strike on February 5, to press home its demands.

The demands include rectifying inconsistencies in the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System, IPPIS; non- payment of arrears of Minimum Wage; delay in renegotiation with government; NASU and SSANU 2009 agreement, among others.

It would also be recalled that Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, and other government officials, had met at a conciliation meeting on Wednesday, to address most of the unions’ demands.

A joint committee was set up to address anomalies complained of by the unions and they were given 48 hours to communicate possible date for the next meeting.

According to Adeyemi, in view of the outcome of the meeting, the leadership of the JAC of NASU and SSANU at the branches, had been directed to convene joint general meetings on Friday, February 5.

“This is to give reports on the outcome of the conciliation meeting and pass resolutions on the way forward. The resolutions of the branches must reach the respective National Secretariats on or before Tuesday, Feb. 9.

“In the meantime, the nationwide strike takes effect from 12 midnight, 5 Feb., 2021, pending any contrary resolution by the branches,” he said.

Source: NAN

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Ngige made the declaration on Wednesday when he spoke on Channels Television programme some hours after ASUU’s nine month strike was called off.

His words: “I will not give ASUU the opportunity to go on strike (again) because I have three biological children that suffered from this imbroglio that we found ourselves in.

“So, I am a committed parent, I am involved, even more than some ASUU members because some of them have their children in private schools.

“I will not give them the opportunity because I will make sure the government does its own bit.”

He explained that the agreement had been structured in such a way that it would be easy to carry out.

“I have structured the agreement in such a way that it is doable,” Chris Ngige.

He said: “For example, the Revitalisation (Fund), we have given government up to 31st of January to pay that.

“We have also opened the window that by end of February, we will sit down and review the situation, eight weeks or nine weeks from now, so nobody will keep anybody in suspense.”

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The announcement was made on Wednesday by the union’s president, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, at a briefing held in Abuja.

Ogunyemi said the decision was taken at a meeting of the union’s national executive council held on Tuesday.

He, however, warned that the union would not hesitate to resume strike without announcement if the government refused to fulfill the agreement.

It promised to continue to monitor government’s fulfilment of the agreement.

Ogunyemi also spoke about the readiness of the lecturers to commence lectures.

According to him, as long as the necessary health measures were put in place, lectures would commence.

His words: “As far as we are concerned, we are ready to resume work. Let the government do what is needed to ensure safety. We insist that the COVID-19 protocol should be observed.”

It would be recalled that ASUU embarked on the nine months strike from March 2020 following the failure of the federal government to carry out the agreement between them.

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The Senate also urged the president to direct an investigation into the causes of the frosty relationship between Dr. Nasiru Ladan Argungu and his supervisory Minister, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment and the impact of such frosty relationship on the implementation of the federal government’s Special Works Programme.

The decision of the Senate to call the president to reconsider his decision against Argungu followed a motion to that effect during plenary by Senator Hassan Hadejia (APC – Jigawa North East).

The motion presented by Hadejia reads:

“Notes with concern, reports on the removal of Dr. Nasiru Mohammed Ladan Argungu as the DG, NDE attributed to a press statement of 8th December, 2020 issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu which indicates that the presidential directive on the removal of Dr Argungu as the DG, NDE on Friday, December 4th, 2020 took effect from Monday, December 7th, 2020;

“Notes further the controversies surrounding the removal of Dr Ladan Argungu as the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) since the news of his removal began trending in the print and electronic media;

“Observes that while it is within the power of the president as the custodian of executives powers of the federal government to a point and remove such caliber of appointees, the presidential directive on the removal of Dr. Argungu as the DG, NDE gave room for speculations in many quarters that some unpatriotic people are scheming to undermine and disrupt the implementation of the laudable Federal Government’s Special Works Programme. This is also capable of creating needless and avoidable leadership crisis at the NDE at this critical time that the federal government intends to leverage on the NDE to address the issues of unemployment and youth empowerment in the country;

“Observes further that it is in the overriding public interest to reconsider and rescind the said presidential directive on the removal of Dr. Ladan Argungu as the DG, NDE to ensure leadership stability at the NDE for smooth implementation of job creation, skill acquisition and the FG Special Works Programme aimed at benefitting our youths, many of whom are unemployed and remain restless in the streets, nationwide.”

Speaking on the motion, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, gave assurance that the National Assembly would continue to support the social intervention programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

According to Lawan, the various intervention programmes by the federal government sought to reduce unemployment figures across the country.

His words: “My understanding of this motion is essentially to make the point that the Senate and, indeed the National Assembly, is in full support of the Social Public Works Programme.

“The recruitment of 1000 people in each local government, which comes to 774,000 slots across the country, is one that we are in total support of, and will continue to do so.

“We relate with people all the time and we know the need and imperative of such a programme, and this administration is doing well with so many social intervention programmes and, therefore, we will continue to support such programmes.

“I think the problem is the dislocation, if I may use the word, that the sacking of the DG would cause.

“The NDE successfully implemented a pilot Programme in six states under the leadership of the DG, and if there are rifts between the DG and his ministers, I think we should look at the benefits of getting this programme implemented and resolve the issues that may characterise the relationship.”

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Abuja Zonal Coordinator, ASUU, Prof. Theophilus Lagi, disclosed this at a news conference on Tuesday at Gwagwalada, Abuja.

ASUU, Abuja Zone, comprises the Federal University of Technology, Minna; Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai; Federal University of Lafia, and University of Abuja.

Lagi said the strike had lingered for several months as the government had not shown any serious commitment or willingness towards addressing the union’s core demands for students to resume studies.

According to him, members of the union had been advised to seek other legitimate means of survival as the government had not released salaries withheld since February, 2020.

“Today, we wish to let Nigerians especially our students and parents know that there is no hope in sight to ending or suspending the ASUU strike that lingered for long.

“Government is yet to show serious commitment towards addressing our core demands.

“One needs not to be a psychologist to understand the behaviour and recent utterances of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, by showing his disdain for Nigerian academics and has failed to play the role of an unbiased umpire in moderating the imbroglio.

“He has now become the spokesperson to the Accountant General of the Federation and Ministry of Finance, instead of finding solution for lecturers to get back to work.

“He is turning the wheel of progress backwards by setting ASUU on collision with other pressure groups in the university.

“In the past few weeks for instance, Ngige has said one thing when he met with the union and a different thing on the same subject in an interview with the media.

“This double character of a minister and a purported negotiator in the face-off should be a source of worry to not only Nigerian students but parents who patronise public universities.

“On this, we will like to educate the honourable minister that public universities in Nigeria are creatures of law as each university is established by an Act enacted by the National Assembly,” he said.

Lagi maintained that in spite of agitations with comprehensive and indefinite strike to compel the federal government to address its core demands, government had not shown any commitment.

He however, called on the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, payment and mainstreaming of earned academic allowances into salaries, release of funds for revitalisation of the Nigerian university system among others.

The coordinator condemned the event at Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, where the authority allegedly invited the military to assist in the conduct of the 2019/2020 first semester examinations.

“Another bizarre turn of event is unfolding at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, where a letter written by the Ag. Registrar, Barr. T. M Ikpenwa, on 12th November, 2020 inviting the 103 Battalion of the Nigerian Army to assist in the organisation and conduct of the 2019/2020 first semester examinations.

“Such involvement of the military crack team in a normal university function is primitive and height of insult and lack of regard to the academia in Nigeria.

“The union wishes to call on the authorities at ESUT to refrain from the ugly trend because we do not want a repeat of 1976 in Nigerian universities,” he said.

He described the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, as better suited in the university system, as it recognised all agreements entered into between government and university based trade unions.

Ladi noted that the UTAS platform ensured simultaneous payments of employees salaries and third party deductions like tax, pension, union dues, cooperatives and bank loans.

Source: NAN

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The meeting which held for about eight hours at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, had in attendance, representatives of the government and labour unions.

At the meeting, the union demanded a reversal of the increase in both the petrol price and electricity tariff.

In the alternative, it mooted the idea of palliatives to cushion the effects of the action of the government on the lives of Nigerians.

The government, appealing to labour to cancel its proposed protest scheduled to begin on September 23, said it could not afford to continue to pay subsidy.

According to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, there was the urgent need for everyone to support the government in its plan on how to survive the hardship caused by the effects of COVID-19.

Following the failure of the two parties to reach an agreement, it was suggested that the labour should consult members of its executive council after which another meeting would be held with the government.

It is expected that the labour union will hold an expanded meeting on Wednesday over the outcome of the meeting held with the Federal Government.

Present at the meeting for the Federal Government were the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of State, Labour, Festus Keyamo ; Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman; Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva; and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari.

Representatives of labour unions at were President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba; President of the Trade Union Congress, Quadri Olaleye; Secretary General of the TUC, Musa Ozigi-Lawal; Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria President, Festus Osifo; and the President of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Association of Nigeria, Williams Akporeha.

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The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that labour has resorted to the strike option, following an apparent inability of government and labour to find a way out of the minimum wage logjam.

The two parties have engaged in endless and often fruitless meetings, raising anxiety and frustrations among public sector workers, who have waited patiently over the months for the new wage.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the continuation of a conciliatory meeting, the Chief Arbiter and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said the meeting was an opportunity for information sharing and an avenue to soften ground for a final meeting, slated for October 15.

He told the labour leaders to be open-minded in their dialogue so that both parties could get a way out of the minimum wage logjam.

Ngige said he believed that the meeting would bring an end to issues in contention, if both parties agreed and understood each other’s positions.

“If we don’t soften the ground, bullets will fly and at the end of the day; we will come back to the negotiating table. That is why we are doing this as a proactive measure.

“Part of my work is to ensure that there is a quiet industrial milieu.  The workforce brings out their full productivity and employers, businesses will not be disrupted. That is why we called you again.

“Tomorrow, we are going to do the mix grill meeting. That mix grill meeting tomorrow can be one hour meeting, it can be two hours or it can be 12 hours, depending on what we are able to achieve today.

“I appeal to everybody to show some understanding.

“We are going to discuss dispassionately.  Nothing will be hidden from anybody. The books of government, I talked about it before– when I mean books they are budgets– 2019/2020, we will make it bare.

“I have warned them and I have advised them that if they come they should be prepared to present their case, meaningfully and successfully.

“I will stay in the middle as an arbiter because that is what I am going to do in this instance.”

Also speaking, the Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr Amaechi Asugwuni, who spoke on behalf of organised labour, said that the meeting was called by the minister to share information with labour leaders.

He said that labour had made considerable shift on its demands from the earlier position on the consequential adjustment of the N30, 000 minimum wage.

“We all know the consequences of delay is never fruitful and as such organised labour has come here with open mind in ensuring that facts are facts, also the situations are already known to us.

“The economy is biting and as a matter of fact, we must assist the process at this time in ensuring that we close it earlier than needed so that we can avert the unforeseen.

“It is only when you don’t know where you are going that you will waste a lot of time doing nothing.

“The position of labour is very clear. It gives us the signpost of what we have asked for and where we are going. So, every delay, every action taken is toward that position and we know that you will do your best to get there.

“We believe that the Federal Government will do the needful because ours is a straight forward proposal.

“We have made our proposal to the FG before now and government is to respond. We believe that by tomorrow, we will get the FG’s feedback and know the next thing to do.

“Labour will not tolerate anything short of reasonable adjustment in the ongoing negotiation.

“The consequential adjustment is a matter of percentage which requires give and take principle. You state what you want but it depends on government to see sense in your demand.

“Labour has shifted beyond expectation. What government needs to do is to reciprocate by doing what is needful to appreciate the workers.

“We are talking about compensation, salary and legitimate compensation for work done. In as much as we believe in the consequential adjustment, it has to be reasonable, otherwise, people will feel neglected.

“Tuesday’s meeting is the benchmark for labour’s action but mobilisation continues. The meeting will tell us the way forward because anything can happen.”

On the mobilisation for strike, Asugwuni said that the meeting on October 15 would determine everything, noting that mobilisation was in top gear “for an industrial action from 17th October, 2019.”

NAN recalls that labour leaders are demanding 29 per cent salary increase for workers on salary grade level 07 to 14 and 24 per cent adjustment for officers on salary grade level 15 to 17.

But the Federal Government had presented a proposal of 11 per cent salary increase for officers on grade level 07 to14 and 6.5 per cent adjustment for workers on grade level 15 to 17.

On May 14, the Federal Government inaugurated the relativity and consequential adjustment committee, which in turn set up a technical sub-committee to work out a template for the adjustment of salaries of public service employees.

But government and labour have failed to reach an agreement over relativity and consequential adjustments for the implementation of the new wage more than six months after it was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a communiqué issued on October 7, labour warned that economic activities would be shut down from October 16, if the Federal Government failed to reconvene a meeting of the committee on consequential adjustments.

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Ngige said this in a statement by Mrs Rhoda Iliya, Head, Press and Public Relations in the ministry, on Tuesday in Abuja.

NLC had on Monday called on the minister to withdraw a letter written to NUPENG, which allegedly directed the union to submit its financial returns within 72 hours.

The minister described the allegation by the labour union as “cheap and unconscionable lies”.

“What a mischief from two organisations that have traded decorum for cheap propaganda.

“On 13th May, 2019, a letter was written by the Department of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations (TUSIR) of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, precisely by the Registrar of Trade Union to both the NUPENG and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

“The letter draws the attention of the Unions to the non-rendition of their financial returns for the years 2017 and 2018.

“The letter directed that the unions should comply according to the provisions of Sections 40 and 37(i) of the Trade Unions Act of 2004.

“It states that every registered body shall send to the registrar before 1st June in each year, an annual return in the prescribed form and shall be certified as correct by the duly appointed auditor.

“The NUPENG and TUC being in breach of this Section 37(i), the Registrar of Trade Union invoked Section 40 of the Trade Unions Act Cap T.14(LFN) 2004, which gives the Registrar of Trade Union powers to request that all the books of accounts of defaulting unions be submitted to the Registrar for further scrutiny to make for accountability in the management of the unions’ funds,” he said.

He said that that included check-of dues of workers deducted at source from their salaries.

Ngige explained that the TUC President personally came to the ministry to explain his predicament and asked for extension of time on compassionate ground.

“The ever combative, arrogant and ill-informed NUPENG leadership took to the press for base name-calling, reminding everyone of their ill-fated invasion of the private residence of the Hon. Minister and asking this group of junior cadre oil workers.

“This is especially tanker drivers to be on red alert for strike, thus threatening Nigerians instead of apologies for being in default. We warn NUPENG to cease forthwith with this senseless bogey of tanker drivers.

“It is evident that the ministry was only carrying out its statutory functions. NUPENG was not singled out, neither was it asked to provide only the annual report of 2018 as they had conducted their 2019 conference.

“The ministry therefore wishes to state that the minister has no intention of proscribing NUPENG or any Union whatsoever, though constitutionally empowered to do so if need be,” he said.

He warned the leadership of NUPENG to desist from misleading the public by spreading false information about the ministry.

“In the same vein, the Ministry notes that NLC, who unfortunately is crying more than the bereaved, knowing full well that NUPENG is affiliated to the United Labour Congress (ULC) has suddenly realised that the minister was the only competent authority in all labour matters in line with the provisions of the ILO.

“How we wish it had realised this all the while and not engage in a futile, ill-advised skirmish with the Hon. Minister over a constitutional right of the President to make political appointments,” he said.

Source:  NAN

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