AFTER many years of agitations, the outdated and much criticied Workmen Compensation Act, WCA, introduced into the nation’s industrial status book by the colonial masters, is on its way out of the nation’s labour law as indication emerged that the Employees Compensation Bill, ECB, sent to the National Assembly by late President Musa Yar, Adua, to repeal the WCA is now waiting Presidential assent.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole has congratulated the new Head of Service of the Federation, Professor Oladapo Afolabi on his appointment to the exalted position as the number one civil servant in the country, saying the appointment is “well-merited”.

OVER 1500 retrenched workers of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, eased out of the bank between 2005 and 2008, have petitioned President Jonathan, imploring him to prevail on the management of the bank to pay them their required benefits as well as compensation for premature disengagement.

THERE appears to be no end in sight to the disagreement between members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Branch and the university’s authorities over alleged double deduction of workers’ pension.

“One of the most critical challenge that most employers face today is to find answers to the question -what is the appropriate compensation practice that will attract, motivate and retain good people in a sustainable and cost effective manner?”, this is view expressed by the Executive Director, Human Resource, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Femi Mokikan.

Last Wednesday, the nation had to contend with a national strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), over national minimum wage. As usual, interest groups, anxious to be in the good books of the government of the day, made appeals to the labour unions to call off the strike even before it took off.

NATIONAL Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGWN have faulted the recent including former military Heads of State in the remuneration package approved for ex-leaders by Senators.

ALL things being equal and in no distance future, there would be an Act of the National Assembly making it mandatory for government at all levels to cater for the plights of the senior citizens in particular and on social welfare in general across the country.

FEW days ago, stakeholders in the media industry gathered in Lagos at one-day roundtable on “Working and Welfare Situation of Journalists in Nigeria.”

Last week Lagos State pensioners converged at the state Secretariat Alausa, Ikeja to receive retirement bond certificates in accordance with the implementation of the state contributory pension scheme, a fallout of Pension Reform Act, PRA, 2004.

THE 6th National Labour Relations Summit organised by Michael Imodu National Institute of Labour Studies, MINILS, held few days ago at the ancient city of Ilorin, Kwara State, with the theme “ Nigeria at 50: Appraising the Role of Labour in Nation Building”, would not have come at a more critical time in the history of Nigeria when no labour leader, dead or alive was in the list of 50 Nigerians honoured by President Jonathan for their roles in the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria as part of the nation’s golden independence anniversary.

THEIR countenance was nothing to behold it was clearly evident that they were angry with the system following the directive that they should report in Abuja for the new biometric verification

THERE is no gainsaying the fact that workers have been the worst victims of economic crisis across the globe with countries like Nigeria rather than implement policies to reverse the trend, are dogmatically implementing policies that compound the woes of workers.

THE Military Pension Board, MPB, has dismissed the claims by a cross section of ex-servicemen that it was given N70 billion by the Federal Government to pay their arrears, including 12.5% and 15% salary-increase arrears which they alleged were either partially paid or not paid at all.

FEDERAL Civil Service Pensioners have called on President Jonathan to sack the Head of Service, HOS, of the Federation, Mr. Steve Orasonya, for allegedly refusing to pay their accumulated pension arrears and other benefits despite the provision of such payments in the 2010 budget.