By Emmanuel Elebeke
President Goodluck Jonathan
yesterday urged Nigerians to brace up for the harsh economic realities in the
country occasioned by the recent fall in the price of oil at the international
market, saying that industrial relationship can only be more cordial, if
democracy was nurtured to grow.
People hold a banner as they march
to celebrate Labour Day during a rally in Lagos on May 1, 2015. Tens of
thousands of people across the globe were hitting the streets on May 1 for mass
rallies marking International Labour Day. AFP PHOTO
The President, represented by the
Minister of labour, Sen. Joel Danlamilkenya, spoke while addressing workers
during yesterday’s May Day celebrations.
Jonathan pointed out that the
present harsh economic realities were so glaring that the workers cannot afford
to ignore them in their engagements with government and advised them to be
realistic with their demands.
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“It is in this circumstance that the
theme of this year’s Workers’ Day becomes more germane for positive engagement
between government and labour. It is therefore proper to celebrate workers
because of the critical role they play in the society. May Day confers us the
opportunity to reflect on the inherent reality we are being confronted with due
to scarce resources.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC
and Trade Union Congress, TUC, have a duty to play, charting a way forward for
continued development and growth of Nigeria.’’
Jonathan then commended both the NLC
and the TUC, for their various contributions in the sustenance of the nation’s
development and democracy, describing them as the gateway to the nation
development.
“The workers, apart from their immense
contributions, have in no small ways, made contributions towards the
achievement of democracy through the enhancement of the processes and
participation. Over these years, the workers have deepened their voice and
government had attended to them. There is a new initiative being championed by
the Ministry of Labour and Productivity aimed at broadening industrial and
labour harmony and trade unionism. This development will no doubt engender the
spirit of patriotism, national consciousness, occasioned by natural justice and
reasoning.
“For us, the labour movement is
central to national productivity and development, and as such have a critical
role to play in chatting a way forward for continued development and
productivity and in settling labour disputes.
“I have set a mechanism in place to
further deepen government and labour relations. Let us use this opportunity to
make a commitment for national development and rebirth. Attainment of national
vision will not be possible without the commitment, work and participation of
Nigerian workers. It is a joint effort. I look forward to seeing a strong and
vibrant federation under the new leadership of labour. I urge them to ensure
workers welfare and also, working constructively for the transformation of
Nigeria.”
FCT allocates over 300 plots of land
to workers – FCT Minister
In his valedictory address, Minister
of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Sen. Bala Mohammed, said that in keeping
with the obligation of the commitment FCT to workers, the authority had in the
course of his tenure allocated over 300 plots of land to long service award and
deserving officers in the FCT and had gone ahead to institutionalise the award
as overall incentive to deserving officers who have served the nation
meritoriously.
According to him, the gesture was
also in acknowledgment of the commitment of the President Jonathan’s
administration for workers welfare under the transformation agenda.
In addition to that, he said several
policies had been approved to improve workers welfare and economy in general,
noting that the nationwide housing scheme, which had commenced in Lugbe and
various part of the country remained the flagship of the present
administration’s commitment to workers welfare.
The scheme, he said, was aimed at
ensuring adequate housing for workers, not only in the FCT but across the
federation.
According to him, the scheme is a
collaborative venture between the Federal government, NLC and TUC, and designed
for workers to become eventual owners of the houses through their rents.
On job creation, Mohammed said the
present administration had in various way opened job creation avenues through
incentives such as the SURE-P and various infrastructural projects, which he
said had generated employment for teaming youths.
As a worker friendly administration,
he stated that his administration had constituted a workers welfare committee
charged with the mandate of assuaging the pains and sufferings of workers
engaged in hazardous activities.
His words: “Every nation that
strives for greatness must give pride and dignity to workers. As we gather here
today, I will like to commend the contribution of NLC, TUC in the stability of
our nation by steering the leadership of the nation.’’
While promising to leave behind an
arrears free administration, he assured that the administration would ensure
the opening of alternative corridors like Abuja-Nyanya and Karishi-Apo roads to
ease the suffering of residents before the end the current administration.
RATAWOA demands improved welfare
Earlier, the Deputy National
President of Radio and Television Workers Association, RATAWOA, Comrade Sunday
Olujetro, had lamented the poor salary and welfare package for media workers
across the country, describing it as injustice.
Olujetro said RATAWOA was determined
to fight for the rights and interest of its members until the injustice being
meted to them were addressed.
He wondered why the media workers
would be paid so poorly compared to their counterparts in most of the public
institutions like CBN, FIRS and NNPC, a trend he said was in the opposite in
the 1970s.
“We feel very bad that we are so
poorly paid today because we were told that before the Udoji’s report in 1975
that workers in CBN resigned their appointments and joined the media because
the media paid higher than the CBN workers but today, the reverse is the case.
“You will see workers in CBN, NNPC,
FIRS earning more than our people but we have put our case in place with those
in charge of salaries and wages in the Federal Ministry of Labour and
Information.
Our salaries can’t take us home, and
we can’t do anything with it. A lot of workers are on personal
loans; as a result of this situation every pay day is a sad day for workers.
“ The incoming President can’t talk
about cutting salaries. We believe he was talking about political office
holders not about the workers because right now, what the workers are taking
cannot take them home. So, he can’t do that, if he ventures do that, then we
will be in separate lanes,” he said.
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