Mininmum Wage: Labour issues ultimatum to defaulters for implementation

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said that stringent measures are in place to ensure that states and employers implement the national minimum wage and the consequential adjustment before the end of March.

Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, President Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) said this at its one day National Leadership Retreat organised for the union’s National Administrative Committee Members on Wednesday in Abuja.

The theme of the retreat was, ” Leadership Challenges amongst Activists”.

Ibrahim, who is also the National zinternal Auditor of the NLC, said that the measures were imperative due to the continuous delay by states and institutions to manipulate wage payments.

According to him, one of the issues in the implementation of the minimum wage is that of insincerity.

“The national minimum wage has been signed into law, and payments should have commenced nationwide.

“But in most institutions and states, what they did was just to award a certain amount or a figure they are merely using to play with the intelligence of workers as minimum wage.

“But I am happy that the NLC is not sleeping on this matter and we have been engaging.

“But going forward, I can assure you that we are taking very stringent measures to ensure that between now and the end of this first quarter, that the minimum wage and consequential adjustment will be implemented.

“Any state or employer of labour that refuses to implement the national minimum wage and the adjustment in workers’ salaries accordingly will face the consequences.

“The labour laws are there and we have all that it takes to enforce our rights against those employers,” he said.

Ibrahim, while speaking on the theme of the retreat, said that some members sabotaged strike actions, weakening the effectiveness of industrial actions.

“Unfortunately, some of our own members work against our collective struggle. They engage in blackmail and underhand dealings to derail strike actions.

“But this is not unique to SSANU; it happens in every sector. Part of why we are holding this retreat is to educate our members on the importance of unity and discipline within the union,” he said.

Ibrahim also admitted that industrial actions had lost their effectiveness due to government indifference and worker fatigue.

He noted that while strikes remained a last resort, the union would explore alternative negotiation strategies.

He emphasised the need for continuous training of university staff and better funding of tertiary institutions.

The SSANU president, however, said that universities must remain the centers of learning and innovation, requiring continuous capacity building for staff.

“As leaders of this great union, we must ensure that our national executives are equipped with the latest global trends.

”SSANU is an affiliate of NLC, and we have benefited from international training programmes.

“It is important that we bring this knowledge back home and share it at all levels,” he said.

Those present at the retreat include the former NLC President Ayuba Wabba, former SSANU President Chief Promise Adeusi, and the Director-General of the Institute of Mentoring and Coaching, Mr Rotimi Mathew.(NAN)

Passenger jet, Army helicopter collide, crash into River

An American Airlines regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the frigid Potomac River after a midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said.

CBS News reported that at least 18 bodies had been recovered so far, citing a police official.

Two sources told Reuters that multiple bodies had been pulled from the water.
American Airlines confirmed that 64 people were aboard the jet: 60 passengers and four crew members.

Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, a U.S. official said.
Relatives gathered at the airport said they were getting little to no information from officials about the incident, adding that they were hearing more about the incident from news reports.

One woman told an airport official, “I don’t know if she got on there or not,” in apparent reference to a passenger on the crashed jet.
She then collapsed in tears.

Hamaad Raza told local CBS affiliate WUSA that he was at Reagan airport waiting for his wife.

“She texted me that she was landing in 20 minutes,” he said.

“The rest of my text didn’t … did not get delivered. That’s when I realised that something might be up.

“I’m just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now.”
The U.S. Army said in a statement that it could “confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.”

There has not been a fatal U.S. passenger airplane accident since February 2009, but a series of near-miss incidents in recent years have raised serious safety concerns.

In 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River, killing 70 passengers and four crew members.

Only four passengers and one crew member survived.

A web camera shot from the Kennedy Center in Washington showed an explosion mid-air across the Potomac about 8:47 p.m. (0147 GMT) with an aircraft in flames falling rapidly.

PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the FAA.

“We’re cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a video statement.

Police said multiple agencies were involved in a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River, which borders the airport.

Dozens of police, ambulance and rescue units, some ferrying boats, staged along the river and raced to positions along the tarmac of Reagan airport.

Live TV images showed several boats in the water, flashing blue and red lights.
The airport said late on Wednesday that all takeoffs and landings had been halted as emergency personnel responded to an aircraft incident.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a statement that he had been “fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport.”

“May God bless their souls,” he added.
“Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stepped down on Jan. 20 and the Trump administration has not named a replacement – or even disclosed who is running the agency on an interim basis.
The last deadly major crash involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. was in 2009, when all 49 people aboard a Colgan Air flight died when the plane crashed in New York state. One person also died on the ground. (Reuters/NAN)

BREAKING; NLC declare nationwide protest

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced a nationwide protest set for Tuesday, February 4, 2025, in response to the recent approval of a 50% increase in telecommunications tariffs by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The decision was reached after an emergency meeting of the NLC’s National Administrative Council (NAC) in Abuja on Wednesday .

The union condemned the tariff hike as “insensitive and unjustifiable,” arguing that it places an additional financial burden on Nigerian workers and the general public, who are already struggling with rising inflation, high food prices, electricity tariff increases, and the lingering effects of petrol subsidy removal.

Labour centre last week categorically rejected the NCC’s decision, calling for its immediate suspension.

The union warned that Nigerian workers, earning a minimum wage of ₦70,000, could not afford the increase, which it described as a “direct assault” on the people.

Despite its initial call for dialogue, the government has yet to address the union’s concerns, which has prompted the latest decision to mobilise for mass action.

In a communique signed by the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the congress directed all its affiliates and state councils to begin full mobilisation ahead of the February 4 nationwide protest rally.

The labour union further warned that if the government fails to reverse the tariff increase, it may escalate its actions, including a potential nationwide boycott of telecommunication services and a broader industrial action.

The communique reads, “NAC-in-session totally rejected the 50% Telecom Tariff Hike which it considers as too harsh for citizens.

“To express our collective opposition to this arbitrary tariff hike, the NLC will embark on a nationwide mass rally on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. The rally will serve as a warning on the dangers of imposing such an unfair increase on a struggling population earning a minimum wage of only ₦70,000; a population that has suffered outrageous hike in the price of petrol, high cost of food, hike in electricity tariff and general rising inflation.