Tag: strike

Categories
HEADLINES NEWS & LIFE

JUSUN strike: NBA optimistic courts will re-open soon

Strike still on, no concrete resolution reached – JUSUN

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has expressed the optimism that the protracted strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) will be called off soon.

JUSUN had, on April 6, embarked on an indefinite strike to press home its demand for implementation of full financial autonomy for the judiciary.

In a statement signed by its President, Mr Olumide Akpata, the NBA said that recent developments indicated that the strike would soon end.

It noted that the strike had taken its toll on NBA members and urged them to remain hopeful.

“The NBA leadership appreciates the sacrifices of its members and, once again, commends the efforts of its branches in standing firm, and putting pressure on state governments to obey the law in this regard.

“No doubt, the strike has taken its toll on our members whose activities revolve around the court system.

“As the strike enters its eighth week, I am happy to inform us that there is finally some light at the end of this tunnel.

“Following an all-stakeholders conciliation meeting held on Thursday May 20, 2021, an action plan was agreed to by all the parties for immediate implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary, particularly in states,” it said.

The association listed the high points of the agreement to include state governors’ remittance to the judiciary in their respective states, the allocation due for the month of April 2021.

“JUSUN will suspend strike immediately upon receipt of the said allocation by the various state judiciaries.”

“In order to institutionalise this commitment, a fund management law detailing modalities for implementation of effective financial autonomy for the judiciary will be enacted by all states of the federation within 45 days from the date of agreeing to the action plan.

“In light of the foregoing and in the expectation that all the parties will continue to exhibit utmost bonafides, we can, with cautious optimism, anticipate that the strike will be suspended in a few days and all courts in the land will consequently be reopened,” it said.

The association praised its members for perseverance, and sympathised with members of the public who had to bear the social and economic cost of the protracted strike in one way or the other.

“In these extremely perilous times, the hardship that this strike has occasioned for members of the public as well as lawyers, can only be better imagined.”

“Posterity will remember us all for enduring this hardship in the interest of a worthy cause,” it said.

Categories
NEWS & LIFE

Navalny’s health stabilised after Hunger strike in prison

Russian dissident, Navalny sentenced to 30 days in prison
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny

The health condition of Russian opposition activist, Alexey Navalny, currently serving a prison sentence on financial misdemeanor charges, has stabilised, he eats normally.

The head of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) assured on Thursday.

Earlier this spring, Navalny went on a three-weeks hunger strike after being denied a visit by a doctor of his own choice whom he wanted to have a consultation with to discuss his back and leg pain.

“I can say that he has more or less regained his health. He went on a hunger strike, then he finished it.

“ He weighs already 82 [kilos, 180 pounds]. He eats normally and has the possibility to communicate with his family,’’ FSIN Director Alexander Kalashnikov told reporters.

“There were no special penalties, there are no violations, and he is not accused of anything. No one aims at humiliating him or complicating his life.

“ He is serving his sentence on general terms,’’ Kalashnikov added.

Categories
HEADLINES NEWS & LIFE

BREAKING: NLC suspends strike in Kaduna

NLC restates plan to strike over fuel price increase
NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba,

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), has suspended its five days warning strike against the Kaduna State Government over the disengagement of workers in the state.

The President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba announced the suspension of the strike on Wednesday in Kaduna at a press conference after hours of the days’ procession.

Wabba said that the suspension was to pave way for negotiation as requested by the Federal Government

“As you are aware, we have been in Kaduna for the past four days for our declared protest and industrial action against the sack of workers enmass without following due process as provided by the Labour law.

“This action was successful and we tried to maintain procedures of industrial action.

“This afternoon an official letter was communicated to the NLC national headquarters signed by the Minister of Labour,” he said.

Wabba noted that the Federal Executive Council meeting had earlier called for intervention on the protest, for both parties to discuss the issues at stake.

“We will honour the meeting as scheduled for tomorrow at 11:a.m. The labour leaders in Kaduna will also be present because they have the substance of the issues in the state,” he said.

Wabba further said that the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the NLC would be held at the Labour House in Abuja on May 21, to review the warning action that was prosecuted in Kaduna state and determine further action.

“It is the commitment of the organs that once we are able to prosecute the first phase, we must then consult the organ to go ahead,” he said.

Wabba said that in the course of going further to facilitate dialogue, the NLC had suspended the strike immediately.

He thanked all their members in the state and affiliate unions for giving effect to the decision of the NEC.

He also thanked the citizens of Kaduna state, saying “we now have seen their positive comments.”

“Even those that are hired to protest today were not informed on the reason to protest.

“When they realised they were sent to protest against the protest of workers rights, they outrightly stated that that was not the purpose for which they were hired,” Wabba said.

Categories
EDUCATION HEADLINES NEWS & LIFE

FG hopeful JUSUN, PASAN will call off strike soon

FG hopeful JUSUN, PASAN will call off strike soon
Labour Minister Chris-Ngige

The Federal Government says it is hopeful the week-long consultations with stakeholders will end the strike by Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) when conciliation resumes on Thursday.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige said this in a statement signed by Mr Charles Akpan, Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry in Abuja.

”The Federal Government is hopeful that the unions would call off their strike for peace to industrial reign in the states.

”We are confident that a week-long fruitful consultations with all the critical stakeholders would end the ongoing strike.

”We held consummate consultations with stakeholders alongside Secretary of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Autonomy of the Judiciary and State legislature, Sen. Eta Enang,” he said.

He said other stakeholders included the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, Mr Simon Lalong and officials from the Governors Forum Secretariat.

He said others are the Chairman of Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly as well as the Administrative Secretary of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly.

”We have deepened the discussion with a meeting with the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal and other judges who are heads of courts.

”That is the President of the Federal High Court , President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria and we looked at the positions canvassed by each of the components -judiciary , legislature and the governors forum.

“At the moment, we have distilled on a holistic basis, what this ministry regards as a conciliatory cocktail position – a mix of ideas from all sides , of constitutional positions and even part of Presidential Executive Order No.10.

“We have come out with a position and given same to all sides, including the body of Chief Judges of States through their representatives, the chief Judge of Bayelsa as proposals to study and come back.

”It contains the positions which each group proposed and which in our joint committee, in our wisdom, we felt was necessary to make for the independence- fund wise of the state judiciary and legislature without breaching the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria .

“We have done something that will make the state legislature, judiciary and even the NJC operate optimally,” he said.

”So that they will open our courts and the state assemblies, so that even the state laws contained in the MOU will be enacted as soon as possible, within the 48 days execution period allowed the states to formalise it, “he said.

JUSUN began a nationwide strike on Tuesday, April 6, when the union directed all its members across the federation to shut down all courts after the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum earlier given over the failure of the government to implement the law recognising financial autonomy for the judiciary.

However on May 6, after a conciliation meeting between the government negotiating team with JUSUN and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Dr Ngige had expressed optimism that the workers’ union would soon call off the strike.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, on May 22, 2020, signed into law an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary across the 36 states of the federation.

The Executive Order No. 10 of 2020 made it mandatory for all states to include the allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in the first-line charge of their budgets.

The order also mandates the accountant general of the federation to deduct from source amount due to the state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to each state, for states that refuse to grant such autonomy.

Categories
HEADLINES NEWS & LIFE

Strike: FG intervenes in Labour/Kaduna Govt. face-off

FG offers health workers enhanced hazard allowance, says Ngige
Labour Minister, Chris Ngige

The Federal Government has waded into ongoing strike and picketing in Kaduna State by the organised labour.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige said this in a statement signed by Mr Charles Akpan, Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress(TUC) had embarked on a five-day warning strike that commenced on Monday over sack of 4000 workers by the Kaduna state government.

Ngige appealed to the Kaduna state Governor, Malam Nasir El ‘Rufai, President of the NLC, Mr Ayuba Wabba and the President of the TUC, Mr Quadiri Olaleye to immediately cease fire.

“We are not unaware of what is going on in Kaduna state . It is a labour issue which has snowballed into a national strike and picketing by the two labour centres and affiliate unions.

“We hope and also urge the Kaduna state governor not to escalate matters to such a level where it becomes uncontrollable.

”We also appeal to leaders of the labour centres to step down action to make way for discussion .

“My ministry is wading into the matter and therefore calls on the warring parties to give peace a chance,” he said.

The minister also appealed to all workers on essential duties, including doctors and nurses not to join the strike.

He added that, importantly, I appeal to workers in critical sectors not to tamper with electrical or water installations so as not to bring more sufferings to the people of Kaduna state and the nation at large.

“This is because we have it on good authority, following complaints by the Minster of Power that workers have threatened to trigger a nationwide blackout by interfering or switching off the national grid,” Ngige said.

Categories
EDUCATION HEADLINES

Kaduna Govt dismisses nurses below level 14 for joining strike

Strike: It has been series of unfulfilled promises - LASUTH doctors

Kaduna State Government has announced the dismissal of nurses below Grade Level 14 , who joined the ongoing industrial action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state.

A statement issued on Tuesday in Kaduna by Muyiwa Adekaye, media aide to Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai, said the nurses were dismissed for alleged dereliction of duty.

The government also alleged that some nurses disconnected oxygen from a two-day old baby in an incubator on Monday, May 17, at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, when they joined the NLC strike.

He said: “Apart from referring the nurses involved to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution, the government also announced the dismissal for all nurses in the state’s employment below Grade Level 14 for the illegal strike.

“The Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those dismissed.”

According to him, the government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to submit their attendance registers to the Head of Service while Kaduna State University should submit same to the Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of Education.

Adekeye noted that salaries that could have been paid to the dismissed nurses would be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the health workers who were at their duty posts to fill the gap for those who joined the strike.

He acknowledged doctors and other categories of health workers that tried to run public health facilities, but regretted that some nurses joined the strike and allegedly engaged in sabotage of some of the state’s health facilities.

“Nurses were implicated in the forceful discharge of patients in many health facilities,’’ he added.

Adekeye also said that any academic staff of the state university that did not report for work would be dismissed.

He added that the state government “will not tolerate the brazen shutdown of electricity, attack on public infrastructure and buildings, locking up hospitals and forcefully discharging of patients.”

The special adviser likened the actions of the NLC as equivalent to that of bandits kidnapping and menacing citizens, saying: “bandits illegally use arms, but the NLC is deploying mob action for exactly the same ends.”

“Efforts to dress up criminal activity as industrial action do not change the reality of lawbreaking that has unfolded, including their persistently ignoring the prohibition against impeding essential services,’’ Adekeye said.

He reiterated that NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and senior officials of the union had been “declared wanted’ and would be prosecuted for violations of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, the Miscellaneous Offences and the Trade Dispute (Essential Services) Acts.

Categories
HEADLINES NEWS & LIFE

Strike: Armed thugs attack NLC procession in Kaduna

The police and other security agents, on Tuesday, dispersed heavily armed thugs who attacked labour union leaders and members in Kaduna.

The thugs, armed with knives, sticks and stones attacked the peaceful protesters at NEPA roundabout, Kaduna, but were quickly dispersed by security personnel deployed to protect the protesters.

Some of the thugs were arrested.

One of the protesters, Mr Daniel John described the development as “very unfortunate”, adding that although no one was injured, they were forced to suspend the peaceful procession for the day.

“We were at NEPA roundabout and about to be addressed by our chairman, when the heavily armed thugs in their numbers arrived and began to wield knives and sticks while others throw stones at us.

“We were lucky security personnel were with us, who engaged the thugs and manage to disperse them and arrest some of them,” he said.

Another protester, Fatima Abdulhamid, thanked the police and other security personnel for displaying high level of professionalism by quickly responding to the threat and overrunning the thugs.

Earlier, the NLC Chairman in the state, Mr Ayuba Suleiman said that the labour unions were committed to the principle of dialogue and social bargaining for the benefit of disengaged workers in the state.

The labour unions had on Monday began a five-day warning strike over the sack of civil servants by the Kaduna State Government.

Suleiman had earlier on Sunday, assured workers and the general public of their commitment to maintain peace during the strike action.

He also alerted the general public to watch out for thugs who were allegedly recruited to disrupt the peace in order to blame the labour unions.

Categories
HEADLINES

Kaduna strike: We are committed to dialogue – NLC

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) says it is committed to its principle of dialogue and social bargaining for the benefit of disengaged workers in Kaduna State.

The NLC Chairman, Kaduna State chapter, Mr Ayuba Magaji said this on Tuesday in Kaduna at the second day of the procession against the government to reverse mass disengagement of its workers.

Magaji noted that industrial actions being issues of collective bargaining and social dialogue, should call for consultation by leaders or employers of labour before taking critical decisions or actions against workers.

“We are not in a military regime; it is not an issue of stubbornness, we will protect the rights of workers to the later.

“The Kaduna state government is playing tough on our actions, we have had military governments who are tough by nature but we sat down and dialogued with them and reached a logical conclusion,” he said.

According to him, the five days industrial action as planned by the NLC in Kaduna will be tough because of the claims of the state government to also be tough.

“We are equally taking our responsibilities as workers’ representatives and bringing openly, the grievances of our workers.

“It is a very simple issue, let the Kaduna state government reinstate the disengaged workers and they should not sack the 11,000 they are planning to and we will call off our action.

“The state government don’t need toughness to discuss this; this is a democratic regime, even in military regimes, labour unions strive. We will continue with our struggle,” Magaji said.

Banks, fuel stations, hospitals among others remained locked.

Categories
NEWS & LIFE

ASUU joins NLC warning strike in Kaduna

UniAbuja: ASUU says strike continues
ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kaduna State University Chapter, has directed its members to join the ongoing warning strike by public sector workers in Kaduna State.

The ASUU Chairperson, Dr Peter Adamu gave the directive in a circular to the members of the union, issued in Kaduna on Monday.

Adamu said: “I am directed by the National Secretariat of our great union through the Zonal office Kano, for members to join the warning strike.

“Members should remember that ASUU is an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the principal officers of ASUU were part of the NLC National Executive Council that took the decision on the strike action.

“Also, members that violate the strike action must note that the union will not be there for them when the wrath of the governor falls on them.

“We must unite for a just cause because injury to one is injury to all.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NLC National President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said at the five-day strike action that it would run its full course unless the state government attended to the workers grievances.

Some of the grievances included the recent sack of 7,000 local government workers and refusal of the state government to settle the entitlements of about 50, 000 it disengaged from service from 2017 to date.

Government activities in the state were completely paralised on the first day of the strike on Monday, with banks, schools, hospitals, water, electricity, rail and air services shut.

Categories
NEWS & LIFE

Strike: Kaduna emergency agency assures residents of prompt response

Kaduna

The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) has assured residents of prompt response to emergencies regardless of the ongoing strike.

Malam Abubakar Hassan, Executive Secretary of the agency, stated this on Monday in Kaduna.

Hassan said that part of the agency’s mandate was to promote safety among individuals and ensure capacity to cope with hazards and disasters.

He said that emergency situation has no relationship with strike and “some of us have to work to save lives and properties.

“The agency will not sit back and watch while fire incidents at homes, markets or accidents occur.

“We have our men stationed and on alert incase of any emergency.”

He urged the residents to always call the emergency numbers in the event of any hazard.