Labour insists workers’ welfare must top candidates’ priority


THE Edo State chapters of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) said welfare of its members remain their priorities and would therefore vote for those candidates ready to improve the welfare of workers in the state, in the forthcoming general elections.
   

They stated this during a joint meeting with state and local council labour leaders at NLC state secretariat in Benin, the Edo State capital.
   

The State Chairman of the NLC/TUC Political Committee, Reverend Olu Aderigbigbe, decried what he called neglect of workers in the formulation of policies at all levels of government, as against their historical‎ role of providing the vanguard for socio-political change in Nigeria.
   

“When you are not promoted or not paid your salaries as and when due, when non-career officers are appointed into exalted positions in the civil service, when persons with questionable characters have become executive characters in the government or consultants to government, we cannot say it is well.”
   

He frowned at alleged assault of  workers, under the National Union of Local Government Employees  (NULGE) in Owan East local government area, who were said to be protesting the non-payment of salaries early last week adding that such actions of government was a factor why workers would only vote for candidates that would make workers welfare their priority .
   

He also lamented the plight to pensioners who are unable to get their pay. “Also, it is very painful that workers who retired for upward of two to three years have not been enlisted for pension. Right now, labour is in political wilderness.
   He, however, urged workers in the state to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and vote wisely in order to uphold the unions’ political heritage.
   

He added, “First, (we are) to identify and vote for candidates who are labour friendly irrespective of their political parties. Put differently, we are also to identify and vote out those candidates who have been in parliament for years but have not, in anyway impact positively on workers.”