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

The union had, in a letter addressed to Ngige, said it would go ahead with the strike scheduled to commence in the midnight of Sunday.

It cited Federal Government’s inability to meet its demand as the reason for its action.

Ngige said that the Federal Government had directed that the various unions in the health sector operating under the umbrella of JOHESU should not to go ahead with the strike.

He urged the leadership of the various unions that made up JOHESU to have a rethink on the illegal strike by putting the welfare of their patients and Nigeria above every other consideration.

He noted that issues in the trade dispute between JOHESU and the Ministry of Health were being discussed.

According to him, going ahead with the action would be illegal as it is in clear breach of the ILO Principles and Conventions on Strike and Section 18 of the Trades Disputes Act, Cap T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

“Parties in disputes are expected not to arm-twist, intimidate or foist helplessness on the other party while negotiations are ongoing as per Sections 8 and 18 the of Trade Dispute Act (TDA) 2004.

“This bars any strike when the matters are before a Conciliator and undergoing conciliation.

“Any strike now is inimical to an equable settlement of the dispute, bearing in mind especially that this is a grave period of a pandemic where the Federal Government has spent about N20 billion to pay April/May 2020 hazard allowance.

“An additional N8.9 billion for June 2020 COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowances has also been approved to all categories of health workers that are mainly JOHESU members.

“Besides, all health workers on essential services -Pharmacists, Nurses/Midwives, Radiographers as members of JOHESU – are statutorily barred from strikes during emergencies, by both the ILO Statutes and the Trade Dispute Act 2004.

“Such an action while the nation battles the COVID-19 emergency accentuates its illegality, as it will compound and aggravate the challenges in health services, causing further risk and deaths to the sick in hospitals across the country,” he said.

He noted that COVID-19 pandemic had been declared as a situation of “Acute National Health crisis” by both the ILO and World Health Organisation (WHO), whose Statutes and regulations had forbidden strike for the period.

He also added that the withdrawal of services was clearly unnecessary as the Federal Government had demonstrated capacity in her amelioration of age-long challenges in the health sector.

Ngige, however, said that government had addressed most of the demands of the union which included provision of enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), approving N29 billion for payments of allowances and also spending N9.3billion as premium for Group Life Insurance for medical and health workers.

He also noted that during the last negotiation, the meeting resolved all the issues raised by JOHESU against the Ministry of Health.

“This is with exception to the issue of CONHESS adjustment which is before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).

“Same goes for the issue of refund of the two months 2018 April/May salaries caught up in the ‘No Work No Pay’ principle when JOHESU was on a long strike of over two months, which was also a substrata of the strike issue at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) of 2018,” he said.

He noted that the union and the Ministry of Health were advised to resolve the issues and report back in four weeks.

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The Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, said this on Thursday in his May Day message released by his media aide, Mr Emmanuel Nzomiwu.

Ngige said that the Federal Government would look at the four-pillar plan of policy responses to the pandemic laid out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

He said that such policies were intended to be human-centered and built on global solidarity.

He said that all relevant factors to the nation’s workforce would be identified, analysed and solidified to ensure job retention and continued realisation of decent work agenda.

The minister said that the Federal Government would be guided by labour standards as benchmarks for social and employment protection at this time of vulnerabilities.

He stated that the government would not encourage employers to disengage any member of their staff without the prerequisite social dialogue and clearance from the ministry.

Ngige commended workers in the health sector for being in the frontline of ensuring that the raging pandemic was contained.

“Over the years, May 1 has been a unique day in the world of work. It is a day dedicated to workers as partners in socio – economic development of nations,” he said.

The minister however, said that the 2020 May Day celebration was different “because we are all taking refuge in our respective homes, staying off the streets in a bid to stay alive and beat an invisible enemy.

“The covid-19 outbreak has affected modes of work and the utilisation of teleworking is on the increase.

“As you work from home, I urge you to do your best in that regard and to endeavour to demarcate your personal life from work,” he said.
Ngige said that the Federal Government was not unmindful of the fact that businesses in both the private and public sectors had suffered.

“Sustainability of the enterprise has become a subject of concern. The worries precipitated by the COVID-19 crisis are further compounded by worries of maintaining a source of livelihood.

“In this regard, the government and social partners will have a look at the four-pillar plan of policy responses to COVID-19 crisis laid out by ILO.

“These are intended to be human-centered and built on global solidarity and it will be in addition to the Federal Government evolving plan of action to sustain the economy in the context of current global crisis,” he said.

He urged workers to imbibe the ILO laid out workers’ response options to COVID-19 which include efficient social dialogue at all levels.

Others are mobilisation and allocation of human and financial resources without exacerbating the national debt crisis and promotion of solidarity and non-discrimination/stigmatisation of workers and sick persons among others.

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The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, made the government position known while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The meeting, which lasted for over seven hours, was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

It was reported that ASUU had on Monday declared a two-week warning strike to protest the non-payment of salaries of lecturers not enrolled in the Federal Government’s Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS)

The National President of the union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, made the declaration after ASUU National Executive Council meeting in Enugu.

Ngige, however, expressed shock over the ASUU decision to withdraw their services, saying that the mandatory strike notice was not given by the union and hence making the industrial action illegal.

“I was shocked on Monday when I read and saw some people coming out of the university that lecturers have gone on strike.

“I have my children in Nigerian university and I saw them and it is not a very cherry news. They didn’t give us the mandatory notice before going on strike. So for a start, this strike is illegal.

“They said it is a warning striking but there is nothing like warning strike. A strike is withdrawal of services for which you are being paid.

“Then, the question will arise, if you don’t go to work, do you want to be paid? Is it not corruption? So this is the dilemma,’’ he said.

The minister, however, stated that his ministry had invited ASUU, the Minister of Education, Accountant-General as well as the Minister of Finance, National Planning and National Planning on Thursday to deliberate on the matter with a view to finding possible solution to the problems.

He said: “So to solve the dilemma, I have invited them to the meeting for tomorrow (Thursday). I have invited the minister of education, their principal employer, the finance ministry and the accountant general of the federation.

“So, we will meet and discuss the way forward because no employee is empowered to dictate to his employer on how he or she should be paid.

“There is an ILO convention on it. The important thing is that you receive your compensation for services rendered or work done as and when due.

“So, we hope to solve the problems. ASUU are Nigerians, they are patriotic but tomorrow we hope to engage them.’’

Ngige further disclosed that his ministry made presentation to the Council where it highlighted its achievements and challenges in the last 100 days.

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The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Ngige said that the Council also approved the payment of all outstanding financial implications of the consequential adjustments as worked out by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, beginning from April 18.

“Council today approved for us that the financial implications be worked out by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, as consequential adjustments should take effect from April 18, the date the new national minimum wage came into being.

“The Council also approved for us that the financial implications be worked out and the attendant payments completed on or before Dec. 31.

“Council further directed that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, should effect all these payments as scheduled before Dec. 31.

“Council further directed also that the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and the Ministry of Labour and Employment should send the consequential adjustment (wage) table to down to the States and Local Governments.

“This is to serve as an advisory document for their information and guidance, as they negotiate with their joint national public service councils in their respective states because the national minimum wage is a national law,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the organised labour and the Federal Government had, on Oct. 18, reached an agreement on the consequential adjustments of the implementation of the new minimum wage of N30,000, after three days of negotiation.

The Federal Government team to the agreement included the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and his Minister of State, Dr Festus Keyamo

Witnesses to the agreement from the government side were Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, Acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and Mr Olusegun Olufehinti, Director, IPPIS, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

“The consequential adjustment for Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), called group one, is GL 07 – 23.2 percent; GL 08 – 20 percent, GL 09 – 19 percent, GL 10 – 14, 16 percent and GL 15-17, 14 percent.

“The second group consists of Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS), Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure II (CONUASS II).

“Others are: Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS).

“For Grade Level seven and its equivalent, it is 23.2 percent, GL 8-14 equivalent, 16 percent and GL 15-17 equivalent, 10.5 percent,’’ he explained.

The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, who also spoke on the outcome of the Council meeting, said N1.7 billion was approved for the procurement and installation of communications equipment and absolute control contour for control towers at the Aviation Training School in Zaria and Katsina airports.

He said: “we presented a memorandum for the award of contract for the procurement and installation of communications equipment and absolute control contour for control towers in Zaria and Katsina.

“The total contract sum is N1,71460,196.10, including Value Added Tax (VAT) while the completion period is eight months.

“This is to address critical safety issues in such a way that there will be better communication and efficiency in the control towers in Zaria and Katsina, and this is ongoing, similar to what we have done in other airports,” the minister said.

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It was reported that labour has resorted to the strike option, following an apparent inability of government and labour to find a way out of the minimum wage logjam.

The two parties have engaged in endless and often fruitless meetings, raising anxiety and frustrations among public sector workers, who have waited patiently over the months for the new wage.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the continuation of a conciliatory meeting, the Chief Arbiter and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said the meeting was an opportunity for information sharing and an avenue to soften ground for a final meeting, slated for Oct. 15.

He told the labour leaders to be open-minded in their dialogue so that both parties could get a way out of the minimum wage logjam.

Ngige said he believed that the meeting would bring an end to issues in contention, if both parties agreed and understood each other’s positions.

“If we don’t soften the ground bullets will fly and at the end of the day we will come back to the negotiating table. That is why we are doing this as a proactive measure.

“Part of my work is to ensure that there is a quiet industrial milieu. The workforce brings out their full productivity and employers, businesses will not be disrupted. That is why we called you again.

“Tomorrow, we are going to do the mix grill meeting. That mix grill meeting tomorrow can be one hour meeting, it can be two hours or it can be 12 hours, depending on what we are able to achieve today.

“I appeal to everybody to show some understanding.

“We are going to discuss dispassionately. Nothing will be hidden from anybody. The books of government, I talked about it before– when I mean books they are budgets– 2019/2020, we will make it bare.

“I have warned them and I have advised them that if they come they should be prepared to present their case, meaningfully and successfully.

“I will stay in the middle as an arbiter because that is what I am going to do in this instance.”

Also speaking, the Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr Amaechi Asugwuni, who spoke on behalf of organised labour, said that the meeting was called by the minister to share information with labour leaders.

He said that labour had made considerable shift on its demands from the earlier position on the consequential adjustment of the N30, 000 minimum wage.

“We all know the consequences of delay is never fruitful and as such organised labour has come here with open mind in ensuring that facts are facts, also the situations are already known to us.

“The economy is biting and as a matter of fact, we must assist the process at this time in ensuring that we close it earlier than needed so that we can avert the unforeseen.

“It is only when you don’t know where you are going that you will waste a lot of time doing nothing.

“The position of labour is very clear. It gives us the signpost of what we have asked for and where we are going. So every delay, every action taken is toward that position and we know that you will do your best to get there.

“We believe that the Federal Government will do the needful because ours is a straight forward proposal.

“We have made our proposal to the FG before now and government is to respond. We believe that by
tomorrow, we will get the FG’s feedback and know the next thing to do.

“Labour will not tolerate anything short of reasonable adjustment in the ongoing negotiation.

“The consequential adjustment is a matter of percentage which requires give and take principle. You state what you want but it depends on government to see sense in your demand.

“Labour has shifted beyond expectation. What government needs to do is to reciprocate by doing what is needful to appreciate the workers.

“We are talking about compensation, salary and legitimate compensation for work done. Inasmuch as we believe in the consequential adjustment, it has to be reasonable, otherwise, people will feel neglected.

“Tuesday’s meeting is the benchmark for labour’s action but mobilisation continues. The meeting will tell us the way forward because anything can happen.”

On the mobilisation for strike, Asugwuni said that the meeting on Oct. 15 would determine everything, noting that mobilisation was on top gear “for an industrial action from 17th October, 2019”.

Recall that labour leaders are demanding 29 per cent salary increase for workers on salary grade level 07 to 14 and 24 per cent adjustment for officers on salary grade level 15 to 17.

But the Federal Government had presented a proposal of 11 per cent salary increase for officers on grade level 07 to14 and 6.5 per cent adjustment for workers on grade level 15 to 17.

On May 14, the Federal Government inaugurated the relativity and consequential adjustment committee, which in turn set up a technical sub-committee to work out a template for the adjustment of salaries of public service employees.

But government and labour have failed to reach an agreement over relativity and consequential adjustments for the implementation of the new wage more than six months after it was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a communiqué issued on Oct. 7, labour warned that economic activities would be shut down from Oct. 16, if the Federal Government failed to reconvene a meeting of the committee on consequential adjustments.

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This is contained in a letter signed by the President of the NLC, Mr Ayuba Wabba, in Abuja.

Wabba said that Ngige’s reappointment was a testament of the confidence President Muhammadu Buhari reposed on him.

He called on Ngige to steer the affairs of the ministry towards the upliftment of Nigerians from poverty, indignity and indecent work conditions.

“On behalf of my family and the NLC, I wish to congratulate you on your recent appointment by Mr President as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“And your subsequent designation as the Minister of Labour and Employment,” he said.

Wabba said it was the NLC’s expectation that the minister would use the opportunity of his reappointment to promote and advance tripartism.

The NLC president also called on the minister to enbrace social dialogue, decent work conditions and harmonious industrial relations in Nigeria.

Wabba furthered wished Ngige a very successful tenure.

Rrecall that the NLC had warned President Muhammadu Buhari not to return Dr Chris Ngige as the Minister of Labour and Employment in the next cabinet. It warned that returning the former Anambra State governor as minister would create industrial crisis, adding that Ngige lacked the approach to lead workers.

Towards the end of Ngige’s tenure as labour minister, there were clashes between him and labour leaders over his delay in inaugurating the board of the National Social Insurance Trust Fund more than three years after the expiration of the tenure of the last board.

Labour also took on him over his exclusion of Frank Kokori as the chairman of the board.

The union held a protest against him in his house which led to a fracas that landed some NLC members at the National Hospital in Abuja after they were allegedly attacked by thugs.

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