Strike: FG Sets Up Panel To Address Demands By NIPOST Workers

NIPOST WORKERS PROTESTING OVER NON-PAYMENT OF ALLOWANCES IN ABUJA ON WEDNESDAY.


The Federal Government has set up a
committee to look into the demands of the
National Union of Post and
Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE). The members of the committee, which is to
report back to the Minister of Labour and
productivity, Emeka Wogu, within two
months, are representatives of the NUPTE
and the Federal Ministry of Labour and
Productivity. This is contained a communiqué issued in
Abuja on Thursday and made available to
the News Agency of Nigeria. The decision was reached at a meeting
attended by Mr. Wogu; Henry Akpan, the
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Communication Technology;
representatives of NIPOST management;
and the union. The communiqué said the meeting resolved
to anchor the contents of agreement
between the union and NIPOST
management on a valid Collective
Bargaining Agreement (CBA) as there was
no valid CBA in existence between NIPOST and NUPTE before now. It said the meeting also resolved that
the agreement should be anchored on
derivable Internally Generated Revenue
(IGR) by NIPOST to facilitate
implementation. “Item No. 1 should be properly phased out
in terms of rate and quantum of payment
for each year based on projected and
sustainable IGR. “That, in view of the fact that rent
enhancement was currently enjoyed by
personnel of NIPOST from GL 14 and above; same benefits may be extended to the
lower cadre but should be equally anchored
on realisable and sustainable IGR “Based on the above, a committee driven by
the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry
of Communication Technology shall work
out the financial details and implications. “In consideration of the above, the three-
day warning strike is hereby formally
suspended,’’ it said. The communiqué said the meeting also
agreed that proper phasing of payments
pertaining to items one and two of the
communiqué be worked out and reverted to
the Federal Ministry of Labour
and Productivity within two months. Present at the meeting
were Sunday Alhassan, the NUPTE National
President; Ibrahim Mori, Post Master
General; Henry Akpan, Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Communication
Technology; and Chinedu Dike, Ministry of Labour and Productivity. NAN recalls that NIPOST workers began the
three-day warning strike on Wednesday. (NAN)