The United Labour Congress ( ULC) Kogi State chapter has charged Governor Yahaya Bello to prioritize the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions to enhance their standard of living, saying it will no longer tolerate the hitherto delays in salaries payments.
Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, the state chairman of the labour centre, gave the charge as part of activities to mark this year’s workers’ day celebration in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
Comrade Simeon noted that this year’s celebration was to mark efforts of their past heroes, who suffered harassment, intimidation and death so that workers could enjoy decent standard of living.
He added that the situation that led to the death of some labour leaders in the hands of the establishment in the United States of America in the 18th century had continued to resonate in Nigeria, saying ULC was formed to continue the struggle for the emancipation of Nigerian workers.
Simeon lamented at the draconian attitude of Kogi State government which he aid took delight in diverting funds meant for the payment of workers’ salaries for their greed, stressing that labour would not rest on its oars until workers were accorded their rightful place in the work environment.
Governor Yahaya Bello, who spoke through his deputy Elder Simon Achuba, promised the workers that special step would be taken by government to address the problem of irregular payment of workers’ salaries as well as settlement of their backlog arrears owed them ranging from five to 24 months.
Achuba said: “Kogi State is not an exception, in that workers and pensioners, having scaled the hurdles of verificalion exercise, have their arrears not paid despite quantum of cash flow witness in the state in the last 28 months.
“The emergence of United Labour Congress is a direct response to the myriad of worsening national issues confronting Nigeria and the workers and Kogi is not an exception.
On the National minimum wage review, Eleojo said the ULC had maintained its position of N96,000 as minimum wage of workers in Nigeria considering the present economic realities.
According to him, “this can be witnessed in its presentation at the just-concluded public hearing on national minimum wage review in each of the Geo-Political zones of the country.
He added that a survey conducted by ULC on workers’ wellbeing, revealed that a Nigerian worker spent a minimum of N72, 000 per month for feeding, clothing, school fees, transportation, among others.
He noted that over 100 of their colleagues were recently sacked by the management of AEDC across Kogi, Nasarawa, FCT and Niger States, assuring that the union was already engaging the employer on the issue.
