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N18,000 minimum wage for workers approved

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on November 25, 2010 at 8:20pm

The National Council of State has ratified the federal government’s decision to set a new minimum wage of N18, 000 for the nation’s workers, at an emergency meeting held in Abuja yesterday. President Goodluck Jonathan has also been asked to forward a bill to that effect to the National Assembly.

The governors have however urged the president to initiate a process that will remove the issue of minimum wage from the exclusive list, so that states can independently negotiate workers’ pay based on their individual financial capacity.

While briefing newsmen on the outcome of the council meeting, which was chaired by the president and attended by former heads of state, the governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje explained that the council agreed to support the president’s wage plan because, “it is in the interest of workers and the Nigerian economy, so that our workers can live decent lives and ensure that the problem between labour and government is resolved.

“Council deliberated extensively on the issue of the national minimum wage for the Nigerian workers and council resolved to advice Mr. President to send a Bill to the National Assembly requesting the National Assembly to enact the N18,000 as a minimum wage for workers because it has to be revisited. Our workers will live a very decent life. With this, I believe the problem between the government and the labour will be resolved finally. This is the position of the Council,” Mr. Goje said.

He said the decision on the new wage has been made binding on all the states and any organisation that employs over 50 workers..

The Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio said the council also noted the submissions from various states on their ability or otherwise to meet the newly approved minimum wage for workers.

“The council advised that the best approach for any deregulated minimum wage for the country, will be to tinker with the present constitutional provision and of course if the NASS want to effect any amendments, then the states in future could negotiate what their minimum wages will be so that it will reflect the true position of the federation. In due course, the law could be amended to allow states negotiate their own wage according to their capability. In the meantime, N18,000 per worker is what we have advised,” Mr Akpabio said.

We are not equal

Speaking on the fact that the minimum wage has remained on the exclusive list, the Gombe State governor said the resources available to the states in the country are not the same. “We are operating a federal system, states should be given the leverage to pay their workers in line with their peculiar situation,” Mr Goje said. “Others can decide to pay N40,000 per month, others can decide to negotiate downward according to their resources. But that can only be done if the constitution is amended. For now, the the minimum wage is binding on all governments and corporate bodies.”

The council was also briefed by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega on the preparations for the forthcoming elections.

Imo State governor, Ikedi Ohakim, said the INEC chairman made a “clear and graphic presentation” of the commission’s intentions regarding next year’s polls and that “we are satisfied that INEC is fully prepared to conduct a free and fair election”.

Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola also added that Mr Jega’s presentation “shows a clear commitment to conducting free and fair polls.” He, however, added that “the big and next hurdle is the implementation of the plan which requires the participation of the stakeholders and compliance with the rules.” Former head of state, Muhammadu Buhari who was at the meeting, also commended the presentation by INEC although he observed too that implementation will be a serious challenge.

Other past presidents in attendance were Olusegun Obasanjo, Ernest Shonekan and Shehu Shagari.

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Chinese workers build 15-story hotel in just six days

Posted by 9jabook.com on November 12, 2010 at 6:59pm
Picture-1.pngAs the United States and China battle over the finer points of currency manipulation at the G-20 summit, American negotiators may want to take note of this startling testimonial to the productivity of Chinese workers: A construction crew in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha has completed a 15-story hotel in just six days. If nothing else, this remarkable achievement will stoke further ..complaints from American economic pundits that China's economy is far more accomplished than ours in tending to such basics as construction.


Meanwhile, it's easy to imagine the disorientation of Changsha residents who'd gone away, or who just hadn't recently ventured into the downtown neighborhood of the new Ark Hotel: "Honey, I don't remember a hotel there, do you?"

The work crew erected the hotel -- a soundproofed, thermal-insulated structure reportedly built to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake -- with all prefabricated materials. In other words, a crew of off-site factory workers built the sections, and their on-site counterparts arranged them on the foundation for the Ark project.


Despite the frenetic pace of construction, no workers were injured -- and thanks to the prefab nature of the process, the builders wasted very few construction materials. Below is a time-lapse video that shows the hotel being built from the ground up in less than a week:

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PHCN workers go on nationwide strike

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on August 25, 2010 at 4:27am
























NEXT:

Workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), on Wednesday, begin an indefinite industrial action.

The workers are protesting the nonpayment of their monetisation arrears among others. The workers, under the aegis of National Union of Electricity Employees, had on Monday, released a memo instructing all members to lock all the gates to PHCN's offices and installations nationwide..

The workers' strike is coming two days before President Goodluck Jonathan is scheduled to unveil his power generation and distribution blue print. The workers are also protesting the procedure that government plans to adopt in the privatization of power distribution.

Mr Jonathan had, on Monday, approved the sale of 11 power firms, which are subsidiaries of the power company. The government insisted that this move will help to checkmate the high aggregate technical, commercial, and collection losses suffered in the course of electricity generation and distribution in the country.


VANGUARD:



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Y'hello ! MTN Nigeria sacks 65 workers including managers

Posted by Jane Okinedo on November 19, 2009 at 9:05pm
Barely, two days after saying the job cuts, which started from South Africa will not affect Nigeria, the MTN Group on Thursday, announced the sack of 65 workers, including divisional managers in its Nigerian operations.In a press statement announcing the sack, MTN Nigeria said the move will help it embark "on an aggressive plan to refocus its customer service operations towards the next generation customer care."The affected 65 permanent staff from the customer relations unit, include "60 customer care representatives, two managers; two supervisors; and one manger on suspension."Staff performance reviewsIn an email response to NEXT on the matter, Funmilayo Omogbenigun, the general manager of corporate Communication of MTN Nigeria, said, "The disengagements followed a series of internal reviews in the Customer Relations Division, specifically related to performance, values and standards."As per my previous response, the Customer Relations Division is repositioning itself for a dramatic and tangible improvement in customer service delivery, and this necessitates an enhancement of the quality of its current resources. As a responsive and responsible corporate organisation, we are committed to providing a service that exceeds the expectations of our customers."According to a statement released by the company, MTN Nigeria has invested over N4.5 billion on technology that would support customer service delivery.The company also said it plans to spend about N25 billion to establish new call centres that will create about 1,500 new jobs.Ms. Omogbenigun said the jobs would be offered to he best quality staff, while our source revealed that the mobile telecoms giant, this month recruited 1,000 new temporary staff with 13 supervisors all in the customer care unit.MTN GroupThe MTN Group is one of the largest telecommunication operators in Africa with its major growth coming from South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana.The firm acknowledged that the current global recession is a major issue, as with other telecoms operators, as its subscribers' base has declined."With respect to MTN Nigeria, and the issue of an economic crunch, the company like every other business in Nigeria, has to a certain extent, experienced the generic fallout from a global recession," said Ms. Omogbenigun.Citing the global financial crunch as the major reason, MTN South Africa sacked about 403 permanent and over 2,100 temporary staff (70% of 3,000 temporary staff).Speaking on the latest job cuts in the industry, Emmanuel Ekuwem, the president, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria, said, "I am just hearing this from you; I need to know more details about the lay off because MTN Nigeria should be making profit here in Nigeria, because this would raise questions if MTN is no longer making profit. But if the layoff is based on staff productive issue, companies can lay off staff in order not to drain the company from making profit."
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More banks sack workers .Wema & first Bank start the deregulation

Posted by 9jabook.com on September 7, 2009 at 10:50pm
More banks are sacking their workers as they struggle to adapt to the new corporate governance instituted by the Central Bank of Nigeria in its move to clean up the industry. Yesterday, Wema Bank Plc sacked about 500 workers nationwide, including 25 top management staff, while First Bank of Nigeria Plc is also involved in a dispute with a labour union for allegedly forcing workers to resign.
NEWSBLOGSTODAY..NAIJA POLITICS TODAY
Tunde Olofintila, a spokesperson for Wema Bank, who confirmed that the bank had sacked some workers, said the number was less than 500. He however refuse to disclose the number of workers affected. "Some people have been disengaged already, and as I speak, some are still receiving their letters," he said. "I cannot tell you how many people would be affected. This is because letters are still being distributed to various people and I won't want to give you a figure that would later be incorrect. The whole process would have to be completed before an accurate number can be gotten, but I can assure you that it is not up to that number that you are talking about" he said. New management Mr. Olofintila also said that the development followed efforts by the new management that resumed in June 2009, to sanitise the bank. "When the new management took over, all the staff members were called together and addressed at the management's inaugural gathering. There, we were told that processes would be streamlined, and roles will be matched to ensure effective production," he sai. "Apparently, there are roles that overlap, but we were assured that the streamlining process would lead to a more effective operation and service delivery." On June 10, a new management team led by Segun Oloketuyi, who is a former Executive Director, Skye Bank Plc, took over to be assisted by Ademola Adebise (formerly of Accenture) and Taiwo Adeniji (of Africa Finance Corporation) as executive directors. While emphasising that the immediate challenge facing the new management is the institution of corporate governance in the bank, Mr. Oloketuyi also said that the new team intends to pursue a strategic and sustained transformation plan, which will reverse the fortunes of the bank. He said these would be accomplished in three phases - stabilising the bank, preparing it for growth and finally growing the bank to take its rightful place at the fore of the financial services industry. First Bank denies allegation First Bank, however, denied forcing its workers to resign under the guise of voluntary resignation. A top official of the bank who spoke under anonymity said, "nothing strange has taken place, only the usual movement because, some people just came in and some people have left; there's nothing extraordinary in staff movement so far." The Union comes calling In reaction to the development,bank unions have indicated their readiness to challenge any bank that indulges in indiscriminate sacking of its workers. Peter Esele , the president of the Trade Union Congress said that the union had already issued a statement on the layoff, after hearing that First Bank was planning a huge staff lay off. "What we addressed in the statement was on the basis that they were planning to. The management of the bank has, however, replied that there is nothing like that in their agenda," he said. "One of the things that give us the leverage to challenge bank actions pertaining to their staff is that the bank staff must have an extension of this union in their bank. Bank officials must be members of the union before we can talk on their behalf."
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StanbicIBTC sacks hundreds of workers

Posted by Jane Okinedo on September 14, 2009 at 9:38pm
By Oluwaseyi BanguduStanbicIBTC Bank is said to have sacked hundreds of its workers over the weekend, but the exact number of affected workers is still uncertain, as the bank has not said anything on the development.But sources at the bank said yesterday that the number ranges from 200 upwards, and cuts across various cadres and divisions within the group.One of the sources confirmed in a telephone interview, "Yes, the bank sacked about 300 people," adding "Our subsidiary is yet to be affected but people are now on edge," without giving further details.While another bank source said "We don't know if we would be affected, the whole bank branches, stock broking and different operational bits are affected, but so far, it was 300 people in an organisation of... not sure of the total. I am in the asset management session with a different human resource management team, so we may still be affected."The global crisis and the recent cleansing by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has seen many bank workers relieved of their duties, similar to the pre-consolidation era, when banks which could not shore up their capital base to n25 billion, or be acquired by another bank or merge with others, had to close shop rendering their workers jobless.Shocks industryThe news of the StanbicIBTC sack came as a shock to many industry watchers, especially as the bank, along with two others - because of their foreign ownership - will not be audited by the CBN, and therefore, had no cause to fear for its operations.Besides, analysts believe that the October 2007, $5.5 billion investment for 20 per cent stake in Standard Bank, South Africa's largest bank by assets and earnings, by China's largest bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, should have helped get the Nigerian unit, StanbicIBTC, out of the woods.But the recent sack tends to suggest that the Nigerian unit might be in deeper trouble than anticipated, and underscores queries on why the CBN should leave the foreign-affiliated banks out of the stress audits.Also, Friday's signing of a $1 billion loan facility between Standard Bank and four major Chinese banks, apparently did not impact on the fortunes of the Nigerian unit, reputed to be one of the strongest units of the bank group in Africa.Bank UnionObukese Orere, the Acting Sectary General of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress, noted that even though it wants to take up the issue of job losses in the banks with Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the CBN governor, he admitted, "We cannot really stop these people from laying off their staff but they must be well packaged before they are laid off. That is where we come in; that those who are leaving do not suffer much. Nothing is permanent."IMF's RecommendationMeanwhile, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Managing Director International Monetary Fund, in an interview with a German magazine on Saturday, urged banks in various nations to do more to adopt financial market regulations and find exit strategies, as the global economic crisis will continue.
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Italy opens way for 1,000 Ghanaian workers Has italy no unemployed or is it Slavery Again

Posted by Egbes Ogbeide on May 20, 2009 at 2:03am
Prospective Ghanaian travelers who are eager to ply their skills in Europe now have a better option to avoid the tribulations which illegal migrants are subjected to travelling across the Sahara Desert.Through a scheme which is to become operational next March, 1,000 skilled Ghanaian workers are to be engaged in Italy annually for a two-year contract, making it unnecessary for them to risk the Sahara route.The job-matching scheme which is being jointly organized b Ghana’s Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, the Labour Department, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ministry of the Interior of Italy.The Director of the National Migration Bureau, Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kunu, told the Daily Graphic that the programme was to encourage legal travel among Ghanaians and curb the incidence of illegal migration to Italy and other European countries.According to a World Bank report, an estimated 70,000 of Africa’s most qualified people leave each year and he continent spends $4 billion to replace them with expatriate workers. A BBC report indicates that many of the immigrants pay human smugglers to get them across the Sahara or the Mediterranean Sea but die on the way.Many Ghanaians have migrated to other countries, especially in Europe and the Americas, through illegal channels. Some of them, including highly qualified professionals, often find themselves engaged in menial jobs in those countries.Some of the illegal migrants are languishing in jails in Europe, Latin America and Asia. In Trinidad and Tobago, 22 Ghanaians who are alleged to have illegally migrated there recently, are reported to be languishing in prison.Mrs. Anno-Kunu said by March next year the government would advertise the job opportunities in Italy and spell out details of the requirements for prospective applicants, adding that it would offer the jobs to persons whose expertise were needed in Italy.She said the stakeholders would come up with a policy and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on how to streamline the travel formalities.For instance, she said they would consider whether prospective employees needed to pay for their travelling expenses or the employers would do that.Besides, Mrs. Anno-Kunu said the MoU would require the employers to ensure that the employees returned to Ghana after the two-year contract.She stressed the need for the beneficiaries to return home after the end of their contracts to make way for others to also benefit.She said 12 officials from the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, the Labour Department and the IOM would undertake the project of identifying matching jobs in Italy, register applicants and begin a training programme by the middle of June this year.She said the 12 officials, comprising verification, data entry and cultural orientation officers, would have their final training in Rome, Italy, between September and October this year.Mrs. Anno-Kunu explained that the training was to build the capacities of the officers to identify quality job opportunities in Italy vis-à-vis what pertained in Ghana.They would also learn how to enter the information of applicants in a database and teach them about the cultural perceptions and the climate of Ital, she said.The main causes of migration in Africa are conflicts, poverty, political reasons an environmental degradation, according to the United Nations Secretariat Department of Economic and Social Affairs Statistics Division.Source: Daily Graphic
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