LABOUR: We’re living in pains – Workers

…We’ve not benefited anything from this govt —SSANU

By Victor Ahiuma-Young, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Chigoziri Ohuoha

IN less than 72 hours, President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC, will be two years in office.

A cross section of workers who spoke to Saturday Vanguard through their unions, were unanimous that the past two years of the administration have been extremely difficult, characterized by untold hardships, job losses, unpaid salaries and frustration among others.

They spoke through the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG; Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGSSAN; National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN; Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU; and Campaign for Democratic Workers’ Rights, CDWR.

General Secretary of PENGASSAN, Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa, said the government inherited a lot of things, such as the cash call and Joint venture, JV, funding that brought a lot of challenges.

He said: “The cash call arrears were piling up seriously and the international oil companies, IOCs, could not handle new investments while the old ones were stalled. This also affected the service sector companies because they are the ones that benefit from the IOCs. This culminated into several job losses. We were really challenged and we took it up with government and the government actually listened to us. The cash call arrears were settled and the government told us that a new funding system was being developed, but we are still waiting for that.

There was also another challenge of the Niger Delta crisis and that reduced the investment in the region. Companies were not going there; they were scared as their safety could not be guaranteed. Safety is the core factor in the oil and gas industry. Jobs were also affected and most of the people who were usually first affected were the service sector before the IOCs. We have been discussing redundancies even as we speak. We are still discussing redundancies in TOTAL, in MOBIL, which has created a lot of crises. Apart losing jobs, they are also not creating new jobs and that is a big challenge.

Another challenge is that of fluctuating oil prices. From over $100 that they were selling crude, it plummeted to below $30 and that was a major challenge because it reduced production, resulted in job losses and it brought about labour agitation between us and the companies. The Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB is still there, and that is a bill that regulates the oil and gas industry. Uncertainty is being created and is also hindering new investments.

There is also the challenge of the amendment which the National Assembly is trying to make on the Nigeria National Liquefied Gas, NNLG Act. The company is making money for the government. From $2.5 billion which the government invested in 1989, the company has paid over $15billion as dividend to the government. We are not talking of other monies it paid to government’s agencies. But as it is now, the Nigeria factor is gradually creeping into the system. The National Assembly said it wanted to amend the act, we all opposed it. Before we knew it, the House of Representatives has amended the law and investors are really apprehensive.

Similarly, President of NUPENG, and Deputy President, United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, Comrade Achese Igwe, said: “As workers in oil sector, we have the same feelings with other Nigerians. The two years of this administration have been difficult, frustrating and challenging. Unfortunately, the only issue Nigerians can see that the government is addressing is the issue of corruption. It has not impacted in any way on the development of the nation. We can only measure development when you talk about issues of putting infrastructure on ground , making sure that the inflationary rate is low and making sure that workers’ salaries are paid as at when due, among others. But just like the views of many Nigerians, the reverse is the case. So, the two years under review have been very difficult. But like the saying goes, we are still hopeful that the country is going to move beyond from where we find ourselves now to a comfortable level where Nigerians can smile. But sincerely, as we speak today Nigerians are living in pains.

“To be sincere, my sector is the worst hit since this administration came in. As soon as the government came to power, there were negative developments in the oil and gas sector. There was force majeure across the oil and gas sector, militancy increased and recently there was threat of resumption of militancy following some comments by one of the government officials that triggered some reactions from the militants. We agree that the challenge of drop in crude price is a global issue. But Nigeria is not the only country where this issue of oil price drop is being experienced. So, we feel that there were wrong policies that brought us to where we find ourselves today. Until we stop the importation of petroleum products and increase our local refining capacity, it is going to be very difficult for us to scale through.

“In the last two years, several service companies were closed down, some could no longer do business here and relocated to other African countries. This depleted our membership. In the last two years, we have lost about 4,000 workers in the oil and gas sector and more companies are closing instead of opening up. Today, more companies are still declaring redundancies, sacking workers, and cutting down their staff strength.”

On his part, Vice President of Industrial Global Union and General Secretary of NUTGTWN, Comrade Issa Aremu, said: “Buhari administration inherited delayed payment of salaries, some as high as almost a year in some states. Commendably President condemned non-payment and delayed payments of salaries. He went further to think outside the box of Federalism, organized bailouts some of which were sadly diverted in some places. Labour commends President Buhari for this spirited effort at resolving crisis of delayed payment in public sector. However same cannot be said with pension. Accrued pensions rights of public retirees were inexplicably delayed by Federal ministry of Finance. Following sustained agitations by pensioners and commendable sustained interventions by National Pension Commission, PenCom under the past Director General, the Federal government has just released N58 billion for payment of pending accrued rights. The amount was cash backed on April 21, 2017. It covers only January 2016 to August 2016. September 2016 to date is still outstanding. All stakeholders must join hands such that contributory pension scheme does not turn into the old moribund non-contributory scheme.

“As demonstrated by workers during the May Day in Abuja, Nigeria risks national industrial crisis except governments at all levels give due attention to the critical issue of compensation of workers. Buhari administration must urgently review the long overdue minimum wage. While we commend both the Senate and the House of Representatives for their respective facilitating roles to address the current issue of national minimum wage, the responsibility lies squarely with President Muhammadu Buhari ably being represented by Vice President Osinbajo. A minimum wage is the minimum amount of money an employer of labour is required to pay the lowest paid worker in both public and private sector. It is about the rule of law. National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2011 which offers the current N18,000 was for a 5-year cycle due for review in 2015. The five-year time limit was to avoid minimum wage stagnation and attendant seemingly increases that follow. In UK minimum wage is reviewed yearly. Today it is £7.5 per hour, about N37,000 per day.

“Nigeria may be coming out of recession, but Nigerian workers are still in depression of miserably low pay. With Naira devaluation and high inflation, 2010 negotiated national minimum wage of N18,000 which was about $120 in 2010 has fallen to below $50 in 2017 worsening income poverty. Nigeria cannot get out of recession with poorly paid work-force. The best way to re-inflate the economy is through wage increase linked with productivity improvement and prompt payment of the existing salaries by states and local governments.

President Buhari should therefore urgently constitute the tripartite committee on the review of the current national minimum wage within a short time-limit.

In his own submission, President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, said:

“There is shortfall in the university sector funding which has made our members not to be receiving full salary since this administration came on board. There is recession, the salary we are being paid is not enough, and then the salary is being slashed. So, our members are in terrible situation nationwide.

“Again under this government, we have a case where the administration started to arm-twist the institutions that university staff teachers are not members of university staff. These are members that were interviewed and recruited by the council of the university just like any other staff of the university was recruited. Suddenly, they said they are no longer workers. We went to court and got judgment up till now these people officially have not been called back to their duty posts and all their arrears of salaries and promotions are still pending.

“There is nothing we have benefited from this government I must tell you the truth. There has been crisis all over the university sector where some vice chancellors are sacking our members. We ran to government and called for government intervention, there is no positive intervention except in few cases like in the case of FUNAAB and the case of FUTA where some of our members have been recalled after frantic fight and efforts. It has not been easy. Even those of us in the union, our check-off dues are no longer complete because it is only when full salaries are paid that we receive full check-off dues.

“So it is affecting us economically, it is affecting us morally and our members are equally downcast due to half salaries resulting from short falls in fund release to universities by the government. It has not been palatable to us, the recession is having its toll on our members, it is having its toll on the union at the national and branch levels. It has not been easy”.

On his part, Chairman of Campaign for Democratic Workers’ Rights, CDWR, Rufus Olusesan, lamented that in the last two years labour movement has not fared well, saying workers have been deprived, dehumanized, demonized, and rejected.

According to him, the June 2015, removal of 41 items ( products) from accessing foreign exchange at the official foreign exchange market signaled the beginning of industrial crisis because most of the local industries depended majorly on imported raw materials for operation.

He said; “In the last two years besides the issue of unpaid salaries and pension by employers, especially federal and state government, there has been massive retrenchment which is still going on quietly in private sector of the economy. In the same vein, we have been witnessing massive factory closures due to negative government policies.”

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