Ajaero, NLC President released on bail by DSS - ITREALMS

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Mr. Joe Ajaero, was released on bail late Monday night after being in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since earlier same day, reports ITREALMS.

His detention, though undisclosed, flashed a general disapproval from labour unions, rights groups, and civil society organisations across the country and beyond.

NLC, TUC suspend strike, nationwide - ITREALMS

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The leaderships of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have suspended their industrial action which began on Monday, reports ITREALMS.

The suspension, ITREALMS gathered in the light of the inability to reach common ground on a new minimum wage and the hike in electricity tariff for the past one week.

NLC, affiliates spoil for war, declare total strike - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Nigeria Labour and organized labour affiliations have insisted on total strike due to failure in negotiation with the Federal Government over the N30,000 national minimum wage, reports ITREALMS.

Not less than four organised labour groups, have since issued out circular to their members on this national strike expected to commence Tuesday, November 6 country-wide.

According to ITREALMS reports, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) in a general circular 002 signed by its General Secretary, Mr. Joe Ajaero and sighted by correspondent calling out its members stated that the organised labour in the country comprising all the labour centres and industrial unions have decided to resume their suspended industrial action effective November 6, 2018, due to the insensitivity of the government to conclude and implement a new national minimum wage negated with the labour.

According to NUEE, in view of the fact that organised labour has demonstrated enough commitment to resolve the impasse through social dialogue, but government has continued to renege from implementing the agreement reached.

"All members are therefore directed to stay away from work effective Tuesday, November 6, 2016 in compliance with teh directive until otherwise directed," NUEE told its members.

In addition, NUEE warned that any company management which attempts to thwart the strike action in any form should note and expect appropriate reaction at the end of the exercise, urging full compliance.

Also, an affiliate to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria in efforts to mobilise for the commencement of strike on Tuesday, November 6, signed by Comrade Musa Chara on behalf of the Secretary-General said he was directed to remind members of the decision of congress to embark on an indefinite strike on November 6, 2018, which was earlier communicated to them as at October 23, 2018.

"In furtherance to this, a joint meeting of the CWCs of labour centres met in Lagos on Friday and revolved to work in harmony to ensure a total strike, " he said, stressing that members are thus directed to mobilise all other members in their council to participate in the action.

For the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions in a circular endorsed by its General Secretary, Prince Peters A. Adeyemi to all NASU branches, said that following the refusal of the federal government and state governors to act positively on the N30,000 national minimum wage as agreed by the Tripartite Committee on review of the minimum wage, NASU members in all the branches across the 36 states and federal capital territory are by this circular directed to, in compliance with the organised labours position, embark on total and indefinite strik action effective 12:.1am on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has directed all branch chairmen and members to by the Senior Assistant General Secretary, SSANU, Comrade Kingsley Okayi, said the national president directed all members to liaise with the state councils of NLC for this total strike action as directed NLC in affiliation with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC).

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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NLC demonstrates in Lagos, Abuja, Jos, Ekiti, others

ITRealms:

Despite the effect of factions in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the labour body Wednesday, May 18, 2016 put paid to its threat to mobilise for industry action against the hike in petrol pump price from N85.50 to N145 by the Federal Government last week, reports ITRealms.

NLC also held its protest in the nation’s capital and Lagos among other cities in the country including Ekiti and Jos States.

In Lagos,ITRealms reports that after the briefing by labour leaders at the Labour House, members took to the street matching from Yaba to Ikeja via Ikorodu Road in Lagos.

Although along Ikorudu road, the protesting NLC team encountered security agencies, but the exercise continued causing lots of traffic.

ITRealms recalls that the four-day ultimatum NLC gave to the Federal Government expired on Tuesday midnight, with a court in Abuja constrained NLC from carrying out its warning.

NLC and its affiliates in a letter dated May 13, 2016 and addressed to all the state presidents, secretaries of labour unions, directed members to sensitise all their colleagues towards embarking on indefinite strike cum mass protest action slated to commence on Wednesday 18, May 2016 across the country till further notice.

NLC, therefore advised member unions including the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, to liaise with the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress in their states for further arrangements concerning the protest and give this directive a widest publicity it deserves.

ITRealms recalls that the Nigerian government last week proclaimed a new price of 145 Naira per litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise call fuel, on May 11, which has so far been rejected by the labour force in the country.

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Breaking News: Court restrains NLC, TUC on pump price strike

ITRealms:

The National Industrial Court, NIC, Abuja has placed a restraining order on the strike action of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, which was to begin tomorrow reports ITRealms.

The labour unions, had vowed to embark on a nationwide industrial action should the federal government refuse to reverse the sudden hike in the price of fuel from N85.50 to N145.

In a ruling on Tuesday, the NIC President, Justice BabatundeAdejumo, restrained the labour unions from going on strike, pending the determination of a suit the federal government lodged before it. Justice Adejumo further ordered all the parties to maintain status quo until the legal dispute is settled.

The order followed an ex-parte application that was filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AbubakarMalami, in a determination to abort the planned strike.

The AGF had approached the NIC, begging it to restrain the labour unions from “shutting down the nation”. Placing reliance on section 14 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, FG, insisted that it would not be “in the national interest” for the NLC and TUC to proceed on nationwide strike over the fuel price increase.”

The AGF argued that ‎no amount of damages could serve as compensation if the labour unions are allowed to shut down the economy. Contending that the balance of convenience was in favour of the government, the AGF, prayed the court to determine “Whether the respondents (NLC, Trade Union Congress) have complied with the laid down condition precedent for embarking on strike‎”, as well as, “Whether indeed there exist in law and in fact the basis of which the respondents’ total closure of the economy can be justified”.

He said the respondents, aside threatening to shut down the country if government failed to reverse the fuel price increase, equally threatened to close down all government offices, seaport, airports and markets. Arguing that ordinary and law abiding citizens would be subjected to hardship if the respondents were allowed to go ahead with their threat,he added that the government was left with no alternative but to seek the intervention of the court.

ITRealms also gathered that neither NLC nor TUC was represented in court, Justice Adejumo granted the ex-parte motion, even as he ordered the service of all the relevant court processes on the respondents. The restraining order against the respondents will elapse after seven days.

Okoli Vincent/Vanguard/GEE

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NLC may go on strike Wednesday

 ITRealms:

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), at the weekend issued the Federal Government a 4-day ultimatum to revert to the old petrol pump price of N86.50 from N145 pronounced last week or risk a nationwide protest, by Wednesday, May 18, 2016, reports ITRealms.

  

The four-day ultimatum which is due to expire on Tuesday midnight, has put Nigerians into panic buying and stockpiling of food stuffs and daily needs.

NLC and its affiliates in a letter dated May 13, 2016 and addressed to all the state presidents, secretaries of labour unions, directed members to sensitise all their colleagues towards embarking on indefinite strike cum mass protest action slated to commence on Wednesday 18, May 2016 across the country till further notice.

NLC, therefore advised member unions including the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, to liaise with the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress in their states for further arrangements concerning the protest and give this directive a widest publicity it deserves.

ITRealms recalls that the Nigerian government last week proclaimed a new price of 145 Naira per litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise call fuel, on May 11, which has so far been rejected by the labour force in the country.

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Pix: NLC president ayuba wabba

Breaking News: Fuel price hike to N145 cruel: We shall resist this increase - NLC

Breaking News@ITRealms:

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described the hike in petrol pump price by the Federal Government from N86.50 to N145 as cruel, insisting they will resist the Wednesday proclamation, and summons emergency NEC meeting for Friday, May 13, reports ITRealms.

A press statement issued late last night by the Nigeria Labour Congress, endorsed by its General Secretary, Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, and made available to ITRealms, NLC said the unilateral increase in prices of petroleum products Wednesday by government represents the height of insensitivity and impunity that must be resisted.

NLC also said that it will resist the hike alongside all the well-meaning civil society groups, decrying that with the imposition on the citizenry of criminal and unjustifiable electricity tariff and resultant darkness and other economic challenges brought on by the devaluation of the Naira and spiraling inflation, the least one had expected at this point in time was another policy measure that would further make life more miserable for the ordinary Nigerian.

As said by NLC, the latest increase is the most audacious and cruel in the history of product price increase as It represents not only about 80 per cent increase but it is tied to the black market exchange rate.

Furthermore, NLC said, the process through which government arrived at this is both illogical and illegal as the board of the PPPRA is not duly constituted.

“In our previous statements and communiques, we had stressed the need for reconstituting the boards of NNPC and PPPRA and wean both away from the overbearing influence of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources who has assumed the role of a sole administrator.

NLC said, the allusion to the fact that the this increase was arrived at after due consultation with stake holders is not only ridiculous and fallacious, because it goes to show that the brief meeting held today during which government was advised to shelve the idea until at least it meets with the appropriate organs of the Congress was in bad faith.

Accordingly, NLC said, they urged the government to revert the prices to what they were, stressing “We would want to put everybody on notice that we shall resist this criminal increase with every means legitimate."

Already an emergency NEC meeting has been scheduled for Friday, May 13, 2016 to decide on the next line of action. Meanwhile, our affiliates, state councils and civil society allies are requested to commence mobilization immediately.

Chuks Egbuna/GEE

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Corruption, hypocrisy of service in Nigeria Labour Congress

Commentary@ITRealms:

I felt abused the other day I read the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) say it was planning a nationwide protest against the high level of corruption that had been going on in the country. I felt amused and abused at the same time because the NLC, at the moment, seems not to have any credibility to march against corruption. By their public utterance to march against corruption in Nigeria, I felt that even the NLC has joined the horde other categories of Nigerians in deceiving Nigerians.

My advice to NLC is that it should first remove the log of wood in its own eyes before it would want to remove the line in another person’s eyes.

I have never felt this bitter and demoralized any other time I was hoodwinked than I felt when the NLC, a labour union that once fought for the welfare of the common workers, joined in deceiving the common workers and aided perpetration of fraud against its own; and funny enough, that same NLC is planning a nationwide walk against corruption. 

The President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, would recall that while people were congratulating him on his election, though controversial as at that time, I reminded him to treat the issue of the NLC-Kriston Lally and Nigerian workers with caution. I told him that he needed to salvage the image of the NLC by going out of his own way to resolve that fraud case and pacify all subscribers to that housing fund. But over 4 months into his administration, Wabba has not demonstrated any will to look different from his predecessor, Abdulwaheed Omar, who presided over the fraudulent housing scheme.

One of the strongpoints of fraudulent people is to identify the pervading needs of their victims and then capitalize on that need to hoodwink them. All fraudsters use this trick, including the 419ners. It was that same trick that the NLC, in collaboration with Kriston-Lally, who claimed to be a Greece based Real Estate Developer, used. They understood the precarious condition of government workers all over Nigeria and therefore identified workers with the following:

*These people are the worst-hit by issue of house-rent, especially in Abuja. Therefore, they would jump at any offer to help them secure a house.

*These people, judging from the levels of their income, cannot afford a home in Abuja without a help, therefore, offering to help them get a home will get them at once.

*These people are helpless people; they don’t have any other mouthpiece and they would depend on the NLC. Therefore, the NLC is the only way to get them part with their hard-earned money.

*These people cannot afford to prosecute their case in any court of law. Therefore, even when they discover that they are being cheated, they cannot do anything about it.

Finally and most depraving, these people are fools and hard fools. They don’t know their rights.

The NLC/Kriston Lally worked this plan well and decided to dish out misinformation, through staff unions and multi-purpose cooperative societies, to workers, especially in Abuja, promising them of affordable houses if they are able to pay a 10-percent down payment of the total sum at a time, then they would spread the remaining sum over a period of 10-15 years. The ultimate promise was that “successful” workers would own a home in a space of one year.

This idea sounded sweet in the ears of workers especially when the NLC is the one being used as a bait. Therefore, millions of workers keyed into the scheme. It was gathered that most staff who did not have a 10-percent down payment for their preferred houses, which ranged from N700,000 (Seven Hundred Thousand Naira) to N1,500,000 (One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) went to the bank to borrow money. Some had to sell their belonging to be a part of the NLC scheme. The general belief by majority of the people is that if the NLC is involved, the project would not be a fraud. So, everyone jumped at it.

At the NLC-Kriston Lally designated bank, where people were asked to pay in their monies, it was gathered that there had never been another housing project in Nigeria which attracted such huge patronage like the NLC-Kriston-Lally. One of the bankers said people were interested because the NLC is involved. That same banker lamented that he was unable to subscribe to the project because of some family issues which took all his savings as at that time. But he assured himself that such opportunities will surely come his ways again and by that time, God willing, he would be able to be a part of them.

But therefore was something sinister about the whole project which was revealed to the subscribers only when they had paid money into the designated account. In the agreement form, there is a clause…that no subscriber should take any other dispute resolution channels, for instance, going to court, should any problem arise, except the one approved by the NLC itself. Some of the subscribers felt tinged by such clause and asked some questions, “does it mean that these people are expecting that problems will arise in this scheme?” “even if crises arise, it is normal, but why should the NLC forbid subscribers from taking the NLC/Kriston Lally to court? But at that time, the subscribers had gone deep into this fraud and there was no easy way of going back.

Time fled by and by the time the NLC promised the subscribers that there will be houses, it was learnt that the project had not even secured a plot of land for the project. At the time, the NLC started trying its hands on fooling the subscribers. There were series of false and unbelievable information coming from the NLC/Kriston Lally quarters.That means that by the time the NLC told workers that the houses are at Apo and Karu in Abuja, there was no place on earth where they had marked for the project. Then I asked myself, why should the NLC be a part of this? The NLC of all unions. 

However, workers remained calm and hoped for the better. People still hoped that at least, since the NLC is involved, if they project could not materialize, subscribers will have their monies back. Then their fears came to reality. They had been deceived. There was no land anywhere in the world where the NLC planned to build houses for workers. There was no plan, in the first place, to build any mass housing for subscribers. What they planned is how to extort money from the poor workers then share among themselves according to the degrees of their contributions to deceiving the workers.

For about one year now, the issue is no longer whether there will be houses for subscribers, the issue now is whether the subscribers will ever get their monies back. But this is a project which was initiated by the NLC and communicated to workers through their staff unions. In most government establishments, the NLC used workers’ unions to collect the 10-percent down payment for the houses. And now, the workers are having difficulty getting their monies back.

Reports have it that subscribers should brace-up for the worst: that the NLC is not planning to return their monies to them and at the same time, not planning to give them houses. That’s the worst in deed.

This revelation has forced affected workers to regroup to chart their own course. The workers in one of their meeting in Abuja metropolis said they had appointed arbitrators to speak on their behalf since the NLC can no longer speak on behalf of the workers.

However, “Nigerian factor” is unfortunately cropping up among the people who head workers’ regroup. The leaders of the group are claiming that they require a 15-percent of each person’s money to prosecute the case in court. That means that, should the court rule in favor of the workers, each worker will lose a 15-percent of the money they had paid to the NLC. That is really absurd and disturbing; because the NLC is involved in this. What has happened to the interest which the billions of Naira could have generated over 2 years in the banks?

When the NLC has mistakenly used its name and position to lure people into fraudulent transactions, why should the NLC shy away from prosecuting the case and getting justice for workers? It is suggestive if the NLC refuses to get justice for the subscribers. It suggests that the NLC cannot be a part in getting justice against itself. It means further that the NLC is a part of the whole game to steal the money of the poor workers.

It is most unfortunate that the NLC is playing this game under President Muhammadu Buhari administration where there is high expectation for anti-corruption. And to pull wool across our eyes, Wabba, spoke at the opening of the 2015 NLC Rain School in Uyo, AkwaIbom State, claiming that the NLC was going to march against corruption. If Wabba is not a part of the grand plan to defraud workers to the tune of billions of Naira, Wabba should first march against himself and the NLC and get the unions to pay back the workers’ monies if they cannot redeem their promise of using the monies to get them houses. 

Wabba said the NLC planned protests will be an expression of anger and total condemnation of corruption in the Nigeria. According to him, the Congress National Executive Council will hold in a few days’ time in Abuja where the congress leadership would ask National Executive Council of the union to declare a National Protest Action on corruption.

A section of the media reported Wabba as saying, “The Congress National Executive Council will hold in a few days’ time in Abuja; the congress leadership will ask NEC to declare a day of National Protest Action to highlight our anger at the massive corruption and bad governance of the recent past. “And make our case that all stolen wealth must be recovered, and those involved, face appropriate punishment for their crime,” and called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to release all the names of corrupt public officers that looted the national treasury.

Why NLC should be playing this pranks with the people? The NLC is taking Nigerians for fools. The NLC is highly recommended for Buharism: probe and appropriate sanction. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari Unless the NLC returns the money the collected from poor workers, Nigerians will not take NLC serious.

*Akunna Odii-Kelechi a public affairs analyst, sent in this piece from Abuja
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