By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba
The Delta State Chapters of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria have charged the lawmakers to focus on weightier issues of peoples welfare, insecurity, unemployment, roads infrastructure and others.
The NLC Chairman, Mr Goodluck Ofoburuku, gave the charge while addressing the protesting workers and the members of the State House of Assembly on Wednesday in Asaba.
He said that the protest was aimed at stopping the perceived move by the National Assembly to remove the National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive Legislative list to the Concurrent Legislative list by some persons in government.
“While other government in the world are busy legislating on how to make laws that will remove their people from poverty, ours is trying to make everybody poor.
“Why are we not making laws to develop pur people, improve our workers welfare, create jobs for the teaming unemployed, address insecurity, create health and roads infrastructure and others?
“We are here to stage an appeal with the speaker and members of the House of Assembly to be on the side of the workers and the people and not to support that legislation to remove the minimum wage from the exclusive list to the Concurrent list.
“We have drawn our members from across the state to this place to cry to you to save us from destruction.
“If and when this finds its way to the Delta House of Assembly, do not support it and that the only way we will believe that you are truly representing us.
Ofoburuku, noted that the Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa and his administration had taken the issues of workers welfare serious, adding that the move to remove minimum wage legislation from the Federal Government was a clandestine demand by those who have refused to pay the workers.
“Not more than two years ago, minimum wage was approved for the workers in Nigeria by the Federal Government but as we speak majority of the state governor have refused to pay their workers.
“ The refusal to pay is not because they do not have the resources but because of greed of some of the politicians who refused to prioritise the issues of workers welfare and now they want to through the back door remove the issue of minimum wage from the exclusive list.
“Today, they are pushing to make it a concurrent list where they can determine the faith of the workers on their own,” Ofoburuku said.
Receiving the protest letter, the Clark of the State House of Assembly, Mrs Lyna Ochulor, said that Speaker, Mr Sheriff Oborevwori, who was unavoidably absent asked them to receive the letter.
