MINISTER of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, and Commandant of the National Defence College NDC, Rear Admiral Thomas Lokoson, have said unemployment is one of the single largest contributing factors to insecurity in the country and called for broad base policy initiatives including the input and participation of security agencies as a way out of youth restiveness arising from joblessness in the country.

THERE are indications that organized labour is planning a massive assault on five banks in the nation’s banking sector over alleged unfair labour practices including refused to allow workers join and unilateral retrenchment of workers without recourse to labour laws.

NATIONAL Pension Commission, PenCom, has commended the National Assembly, for its efforts at finding lasting solution to fraud, non-payment of pension, incessant verification exercise and other negative issues bedeviling the defunct pension scheme, otherwise known as Pay- As- You- Go, PAYG, saying they are damaging the contributory pension scheme.

NATIONAL Pension Commission, PenCom, it is working on a proposal for an amendment of the Pension Reform Act, PRA, 2004, to prosecute abuses by employers is underway.

RETIRED Prison officers from Edo State under the aegis of Association of Retired Prisons Officers have accused Pension Funds Administrators, PFAs, of unethical practices and sought to pull out Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS.

ORGANISED labour in the nation’s Steel and Engineering sector, has called on the Federal Government to intervene on the plight of over 500 workers of AKS Nigeria Limited allegedly forced out of job for the past three months by a Receiver/Manager purportedly acting under an Ex-Parte Court Order.

THOUGH the Employee Compensation Scheme, ECS, a child of the Employee Compensation Act, ECA, commenced July last year, however, February 24, 2012, at the official commissioning of the Lagos Corporate Head office of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, could be regarded as the actual take of date for the scheme.

VICE President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Chairman of Labour Transport Company, LTC, Comrade Issa Aremu, has faulted the Federal Government on alleged planned to 450 and 150 buses to the NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC out of the 1,242 buses to be imported.

PENSIONERS in the South-west have called for the decentralization of pension administration to allow state governments to handle the payments of the Federal share of pension on behalf the Federal Government.

FROM the under-developed countries like Nigeria to the developing countries such as Syria, from the emerging economies like India to a failed economy like Greece and from the developed economies such as Germany and to even a super power like United States of America, USA, the story is the same; unemployment is becoming the greatest threat to peace and stability.

LAGOS State Council of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, has described the last pensioners’ verification exercise ordered by the Federal Government through the Head of Service, HOS, of the Federation as a complete failure.

MINISTER of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, has said President Goodluck Jonathan has fulfilled his promises to Nigerian workers, stressing that enhanced welfare of the Nigerian workers is a major trust of the present Administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“OUR greatest problem as a country is the rate of unemployment.” These were the words of President Goodluck Jonathan, at the commissioning of 6 million metric tonnes per annum, mtpa, cement plant at Ibese, Yewa North local Government area of Ogun state, built by business mogul, Aliko Dangote.

MISTER Timothy Dumbiri Akpede, an 84-year-old blind pensioner served Nigeria in various capacities before retirement. He served the nation as an athlete, a councilor and a teacher before retiring on December 31, 1984.

THE upper chamber of the National Assembly has vowed to, through legislative processes, expose and deal with those behind the criminal and other unethical practices, especially non-payment of pensions that have inflicted pains and suffering on pensioners in the country.