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Subsidy Removal: NASU bemoans absence of palliatives
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has bemoaned absence of palliatives more than two months after the removal petrol subsidy.
Mr Michael Adebola, Chairman, NASU FCT Council said this at the Quadrennial Conference/Election of the council on Monday in Abuja.
Adebola noted that the unending upward adjustment in the pump prices of petrol which have moved from the initial N540 to over N617 per litre.
According to him, we are not oblivious to the cries of our members in the FCT council on the high cost of transportation with a resultant effect on the cost of living.
“We demand that the government should work on policies that can alleviate the suffering of the masses through well-packaged palliatives.
“Also, they have to improved the salary structure, and our refineries should be refurbished and be put under good use,” he said.
On the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as a salary payment system, he noted that the platform was ineffective.
Adebola said that the payment platform has brought inconsistency and tears to workers and unions in tertiary institutions.
“The IPPIS which would have been a good system for union dues remittance is ineffective and full of fraudulent activities. There are lots of irregularities and short payments of union dues.
“A lot of branches in the FCT council are facing pending and unresolved issues with the IPPIS despite all the efforts to ensure corrections.
“We, therefore, appeal to the government to scrap IPPIS and replace it with a better system of unified payment.
“A lot of our members’ dues deductions are going to other unions’ accounts due to the mistakes of IPPIS,”he said. In his remarks,
Mr Hassan Makolo, National President of NASU commended the giant stride the out-gone exco recorded, cautioned state governments against reducing the number of work days.
Makolo said that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) had prescribed five work days in a week and eight hours per day of work.
“It says any practice that is contrary to the specifications of the ILO is likely going to affect national productivity adversely.
“All we know is that workers are expected to work for five days a week and eight hours per day.
“That ought to be maintained. Now if we reduce the number of workdays, that is going to affect productivity negatively,” he said.
NASU president however faulted the issue of working from home.
He added that, there is no infrastructure to make that happen now, especially with low broadband penetration and epileptic power supply.
He also cautioned labour unions against accepting a reduction of days of work in a week, saying accepting the practice could lead to job loss soon.
“If the number of work days is reduced, it means that government could reduce the workforce by half.
“This is because if tasks that are executed in five days can be done in three days, it will mean that half of the workforce can do the job.
“So, the workers could become endangered species, ‘he said.
He urged the Federal Government to introduce palliatives that will ensure cheaper means of transportation to and from work rather than contemplate a reduction in the number of work days.
He added that what they expect is for government to provide palliatives that will make meaning to the people.
According to him, why can’t the government get buses that can take workers to their workplaces free of any charges to and back?
“So, the manpower that will be lost staying at home can translate that into productivity,”he add. On additional N10,000 to workers’ salaries which some state governments have begun to implement, Makolo said it was wrong.
“What does N10,000 do to help workers in the present circumstances? I do not like discussing states because the majority of the state governments are not even implementing N30,000 minimum wage as a national law.
“Some of them pay in per cent and not that they will offset the balance at a later date. They are owing the workers in perpetuity,”he added.
Also, Prof. Hussaini Ibrahim Director General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), urged labour leaders to stand on the cusp of a remarkable juncture.
He said that is where collaboration and dialogue hold the potential to shape the positive trajectory of industrial relations. Ibrahim said that RMRDC was collaborating with labour unions to execute the regular promotion of staff, welfare packages, local and international training for staff of all cadres among others.
At the end of the delegates’ conference, Hassan Gorroh was elected FCT council while Bola Ajayi was returned secretary.
Others include Zakari Tso, who was elected treasurer and Bosun Olajubu that emerged as an executive member of the FCT council.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra State Sector Command, has confirmed the death of a woman in an accident at Okpoko Market on the Asaba-Onitsha Road.
The Sector Commander, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi, who confirmed the accident to journalists in Awka on Thursday, said that the woman was hit while she was crossing the road.
He said that the accident, which occurred on Wednesday, involved a commercial tow truck with registration number XA550BMA.
“Eyewitness report reaching us indicates that the truck was towing a vehicle in an uncontrollable speed along the axis.
“The vehicle that was being towed got detached from the tow truck.
“It hit and killed a female adult, who was said to be crossing the road, while the tow truck continued its movement.
“FRSC rescue team came to the scene and took the woman to Toronto Hospital, Onitsha, where she was confirmed dead and her body deposited at the hospital’s mortuary,” he said.
While sympathising with the family of the dead, the sector commander urged motorists, especially tow truck drivers, to exercise a high level of professionalism.
He also urged the drivers to always use standard equipment and avoid speeding.
The Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, said the state government’s maize palliative to members of the association made a positive impact on the sector.
Iyiola said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
“We received about 150,000 tons of maize in February from the Lagos State government as palliative to cushion the effect of high feed prices.
“The major benefit of the palliative is that it actually cushioned the cost of production for most poultry farmers in the state.
“The palliative was beneficial as it made the cost of some poultry produce, especially eggs to drop,” Iyiola said.
He noted that prior to the palliative, a crate of egg was sold between N3,500 and N3,700 at the farm gate, but after the palliative, it now sells between N3,200 and N3,400.
According to the PAN chair, retailers and middlemen who sell from N3,800 to N4,200 do that for their personal gain.
“We have urged our members to sell their eggs at reasonable prices following the receipt of the palliative from the government.
“We appreciate the Lagos State government for the palliative but we also urge the federal government to do likewise, to further reduce the cost of production in the sector.
“This will consequently lead to drop in the prices of all poultry produce across board,” he said.
He said the palliative was shared among financial members of the association at no extra cost.
“As an association we shared the grains equally across PAN’s eight zones in the state equally. We also mandated each zone not the sell even a grain of the maize.
“We, however, considered new poultry farmers who wanted to the join the association as beneficiaries of the palliative,” said Iyiola.
He noted that through the palliative, more poultry farmers were recruited into the association.
“The maize was shared only to poultry farmers and not feed millers, it is the major component of poultry feed formulation,” he said.
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