NEMA, Striking Staff Sign Pact – Management
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – The industrial dispute between the management and staff of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that led to a nationwide strike by the workers may have been resolved on Thursday night, October 19, 2017.
This follows the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige’s intervention at a meeting with the NEMA Management led by Director General, Engineer Mustapha Maihaja and representatives of national body of the Labour Unions.
The disputes had seen the closure of NEMA offices nationwide by protesting workers in the Agency over alleged poor welfare package and management’s insensitivity to their plight.
A statement issued Friday morning by the Head, Media and Public Relations of NEMA, Sani Datti said at the meeting to resolve the crisis, the aggrieved staff were represented by National President of Trade Union Congress (TUC); Secretary General of the Association of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria; FCT leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); and Nigeria Civil Service Union.
Datti said issues relating to the staff welfare and other areas of misunderstanding were fully discussed and resolved with timelines for implementation to be closely monitored by the Minister of labour and productivity.
According to the NEMA Spokesman, the tripartite meeting produced a joint settlement agreement signed by both parties with the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Labour as witness.
He stated that with these developments, the offices of NEMA hitherto closed to business on Thursday, October 19, 2017 due the workers’ strike are expected to re-open for normal operation nationwide on Friday, October 20, 2017.
Forefront reports that NEMA’s staff across the nation had embarked on a three day warning strike on Thursday, October 19, 2017, to press home their demands for improve welfare package and better working conditions, even as they accused the Agency’s Director General of official high-handedness and insensitivity to their common good of emergency workers.
