A FEDERAL High court sitting in Lagos has dissolved the state executive council of the Lagos State Butchers Association and ordered that a fresh election be conducted within the next 14 days.

The court presided over by Justice Mojisola Olatoregun-Ishola gave the order last week while delivering judgment in a suit instituted by three members of the association, who approached the court on the ground that the present executive committee of the association was improperly constituted.

The presiding Judge also ordered the composition of a ten man committee to organise the election without delay and declared that the Trustees of the association as presently constituted could not lawfully function without the required quorum of a minimum of six trustees and that since two of the trustees had died there was a need for the association to appoint two new members. It would be recalled that commercial activities at the state abattoir, Agege have been brought to halt several times due to the crisis of leadership facing the association.

This made some members of the association led by Mukaila Akanbi, Morufu Shotayo and Babatunde Alabi to file a suit against the Trustees of the association which is made up of Adijatu Ojikutu, Raimi Balogun, Sulaimon Afuwaye and Taiye Odunsho over their refusal to call for fresh election since 1996 contrary to the provision of the constitution of the association.

In an originating summons filed on behalf of the three members by their counsel, Dele Fadesere, the plaintiffs had asked the court for a declaration that the continue tenure ship of the respondents from 1996 till date is in contravention of the provisions of Article 13 of the Constitution of the association and should be dissolve and fresh election conducted.

Maritime union charges NPA on unpaid benefits, others

MARITIME Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has called on the management of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, to honour the pledge to pay unpaid benefits to Tally Clerk Pool and onboard security members of Dockworkers among others, to avoid industrial unrest, stressing that the 28 day demanded by NPA to address workers demands will  lapse  a  in few days .

It could be recalled that the management of NPA had in April sought from the two unions in the industry 28 days to enable it complete all processes needed to address their grievances following the threat by organised labour to down tools over the lingering issues of  unpaid benefits to Tally Clerk Pool and onboard security members of Dockworkers among others.

The  President-General of MWUN, Comrade Emmanuel Anthony Nted, confirmed  that the management of NPA asked for 28 days to settle the issues and that the leadership of the unions would want to give NPA management  the benefit of doubt.  According to him: “But I can tell you that the workers have endured for a very long time. I want to believe that the management of NPA will not disappoint this time.

We have been trying very hard to calm the dockworkers who have been very restive because of the plight of their colleagues in the Telly Clerk Pool and Onboard security. We want to use this opportunity to call on the management of NPA to make all necessary arr
angement to pay these workers their due because they have suffered a lot. We sincerely hope at the end of the day, NPA and others.  concerned will settle these issues to avoid industrial unrest.”

FG to set up committee on casualisation in PHCN

THE Federal Government has promised to pay the monetisation benefits due to employees  of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria within the next one month. Similarly, a committee is to be set to look at the issue of over 10,000 casual workers in the organisation as well as the 150 percent pay rise being demanded by the workers. These were part of the agreements reached between government and the two unions in the sector following which the planned strike by the workers was suspended.

The workers, under the umbrella of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE and its Senior Staff of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSEAC counterpart, had planned to begin an indefinite strike earlier in the week. The strike was called off after a meeting between leaders of the two unions and government representatives late last week