Don’t sack workers, ministry tells NIMC

THE Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity has urged the management of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) not to sack its workers.

At a tripartite meeting in Abuja attended by officials of the Ministry, the leadership of the Association of Senior Civil of Nigeria (ASCSN), and the NIMC Management, all parties agreed to maintain status quo ante and abide by the directive of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity as contained in its letter with reference No/ML.HB/8242/1/20 dated February 18th, 2015.

The letter ordered the Commission to put on hold the planned sack pending the outcome of the reconciliation process started by the Ministry following a Trade Dispute declared by the ASCSN.

The meeting came on the heels of Trade Union actions embarked upon by the ASCSN last week during which members of the union paralyzed activities in all the offices of NIMC in the 36 States and Abuja.

In a statement issued in Lagos at the weekend, the National President of the Union, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and the Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal, stated that the picketing has been suspended and members of the union directed to resume duties.

The union advised President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a probe panel to determine how “billions of naira approved by the Federal Government for NIMC to perform its functions including issuing National Identity Cards to Nigerians disappeared into thin air”.

The union said: “If Jonathan refused to institute this probe, the President-elect, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari must do so immediately he assumed office on 29th May, 2015.”

It warned that if the management of NIMC refused to obey the current agreement, the leadership of the Union should not be held responsible for the trade union actions “it would take to safeguard the interest of its members”.