Government to stop paying workers when they strike – Labour minister

The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, has stated that the federal government has approved the implementation of no work, no pay principle when workers go on strike.

He said this while revealing that the report of the technical committee on industrial relations matters in the federal public service was adopted at the federal executive council (FEC) in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ngige said the public service in Nigeria is facing numerous problems, prompting the inauguration of the committee in August 2016.

“These contentious areas are enforcement of section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act Law of the Federation 2004 which deals with lock out of workers by their employers without declaring redundancy appropriately.

“When workers go on strike, the principle of no-work-no-pay will also apply because that principle is enshrined in the same section 43 of the Labour Act.’’

According to Ngige, the section says that for the period a worker withdraws his/her services, government or employers are not entitled to pay.

The minister also revealed that the period for which the worker was absent would not count as part of the pensionable period in public service.

Ngige said another area considered was the issue of public servants remaining permanently in the executive bodies of trade unions.

“Government realises that some persons in the public service go into trade union executive positions; hold offices; and they do that for life; for as long as they are in the service,” he said.

“In doing so, they will refuse postings and deployments under the guise that are doing trade union activities; government says no.

“Government has also said that there must tenure stipulations because people stay there without tenure; many organisations give people union positions without tenure; government says there is no office that does not have tenure.’’

Ngige stated that trade unions should present constitutions that must have tenures — “at least, maximum of two tenures for any elective position”.