Union leaders of Ajaokuta Steel says, senator Natasha’s alarm on staff disposition, injurious, unsubstantiated

Union Leaders of the Ajaokuta Steel company Limited, (ASCL), has cautioned the senator representing Kogi Central in the Red chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Natasha Akpoti-uduaghan, to refrain from making claims that cannot be unsubstantiated or verified as regard the staff strength or the general state of the company.

The unions while reacting to what it termed ab injurious claims and unsubstantiated Alarm made by the Senator at the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee Investigation, said contrary to the assertions that the staff of the company are not up to ten at sight when in her words she sneaked into the Company at a time, the union leaders noted that by the records available to them, the current staff disposition of the Company stood at 1627 as at July, 2024.

This was contained in a joint press statement by the Executives of the Steel And Engineering Workers Union Of Nigeria (SEWUN), Association Of Senior Civil Servants Of Nigeria (ASCSN), Iron And Steel Senior Staff Association (ISSAN) and Nigerina Union of Mines Workers (NUMW), Ajaokuta Branch, on 11th August, 2024. Titled Re: Ajaokuta Steel Workers Salaries Unverifiable alarm raised by Senator Natasha Akpoti-uduaghan

The statement which was signed by Comrade Anouda Isah Umar Chairman, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN)Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd-Branch, Comrade Usman, Bashiru Chairman, Steel and Engineering Workers of Nigeria (SEWUN)Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd-Branch and Comrade Ovajimoh Yahaya Chairman, Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSAN), Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd-Branch and Comrade Salihu Idowu Adinoyi, Chairman, Nigerian Union of Mines Workers (NUMW)Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd-Branch was made available to Journalists in Lokoja.

The statement read in part said
“In the early hours of Wednesday, 31st July, 2024, Nigerians were inundated with banner headlines in various Nigerian News Media as well as Social Media platforms; with claims allegedly made by Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, that the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited Workers were unverified and allude that they Workers were Ghost Workers.

“We the representatives of the Workforce of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited wish to use this medium to respond to the misinformation and erroneous claims made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan regarding the Budget Personnel Cost provisions of our Members/Workers in the 2024 National Budget vis-à-vis the Staff Strength and put the record straight.

“As Workers and representatives of the various Workers Unions in the Steel Plant, we are duty bound to correct this injurious claims and unsubstantiated Alarm made by the Senator at the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee to Investigate Alleged Incidences of Corruption and Inefficiency at the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe.

While stating the facts, the union leaders said “the Senate Ad-hock Committee invited all Stakeholders to discuss a way forward for the challenges bedevilling the Steel Company and we are also invited and it was during this meeting that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan made the claim with no evidence to back up her assertion.

“Contrary to her assertions that the staff are not up to ten (10) at sight when in her words she sneaked into the Company at a time, we state that while we do not want to join issues with when and how she came to the Company, we state emphatically that her claim is incorrect and to best of our knowledge and records available to us as Union Executives, the current staff disposition of the Company is 1627 and this figure is as at July, 2024.

They added that “It is also important to note that as at ten (10) years ago the staff strength of the Company doubled this number. The downward trend is associated with retirements, resignations and death since no replacements were being made to make up the aging workforce.

“We also state here that our workers are well trained and dedicated with skills that has enhanced the shelf life of the facilities in the Steel Plant to date.

“In fact it is the skills, knowledge and capacity of these dedicated Workforce that gave values to the 2002, 2010 and 2018, Technical Audits of the facilities of the Steel Plant and these exercises were carried out with the active participation of these same Workers that are now been hounded through misinformation.

The union leaders called on the senator to refrain from spreading information on Ajaokuta Steel Plant without facts, especially on matters relating to the very hardworking Staff of the Company

“Gentlemen of the Press, while we appreciate Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for her concerns and efforts on the Ajaokuta Steel Plant challenges, like all other relevant Stakeholders of which we the Workers Representatives and the Workers themselves are part of; we fervently urge her to refrain from spreading information on Ajaokuta Steel Plant without facts, especially on matters related to the very hardworking Staff of the Company.

They noted that such actions are capable of truncating efforts already put in place, loss of jobs of the Workers she claims to be her priority and urged her to engage in constructive dialogue and collaborate with other stakeholders to address the challenges of the Company.

The statement noted further that,
“It is important to state here that the staff salaries in the Federal Civil Service are administered based on CONPS, CONHESS and CONMESS Consolidated Salary Structures classified between Grade Levels 02-17 and our Members are so placed depending on their experience, qualifications, length of service and are not based on off handed calculations like the Senator tried to postulate.

“It is on records that, the Federal Government had since 2012 being paying the Salaries of the Staff through the Federal Ministry of Finance-IPPIS Desk directly to the accounts of our members from the Personnel Cost Budget Allocation domiciled in the Accountant-General’s Office.

“The Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation physically visited the Steel Plant and conducted on the spot audit of the Staff between 7th and 18th February, 2022 and just recently in April, 2024.

“At the moment the IPPIS has commenced a verification exercise of Federal Government Treasury Funded Workers and our Members are participating in the verification exercise.

“It is therefore sad that the Senator would make such damaging and unverified claims without checks with Stakeholders, the Management, the Ministry and even the Office of the Head of Civil service but went ahead with the offensive claims that seek to destroy the zeal and commitment of the Workers who have put in all to save the Steel Plant from vandalism and above all made it stable, serviceable and attractive to investors