…wants increment in minimum wage
By Precious Oham
The organised labour in Ekiti State comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, had urged the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji to reinstate the 67 disengaged workers of the Ekiti State University, EKSU.
The Labour Unions made the appeal at a press conference in Ado-Ekiti on Monday heralding the 2024 Worker’s Day celebration.
While calling on the governor to reinstate the sacked workers as a gift to Ekiti workers on May Day celebration, they condemned the persistent fuel scarcity that has caused untold hardship on the masess.
The NLC Chairman in Ekiti State, Kolapo Olatunde commended the giant strides of the Ekiti State government for prioritizing the welfare of workers through prompt payment of salaries, release of subvention to the tertiary institutions and recalling the sacked workers among others.
According to the NLC Chairman, the labour unions are looking forward to a new minimum wage that will cater for the welfare of workers.
He said: “The N30,000 minimum wage cannot take anybody anywhere. We are clamouring for a wage that can take us home.
“We equally have sacked workers in the university. On behalf of the organised labour in the state, we appeal to the governor to please come to the aid of our disengaged 67 EKSU wo3rkers.
“He should gift it to us for the May Day celebration. All we need for them is mercy. We are pleading with the governor, the friend of the masses to do something for us.”
While reflecting on the theme of the 2024 Worker’s Day titled “The People First”, the TUC Chairman in Ekiti State, Sola Adigun called on leaders to put the people first through their policies and programmes.
On the issue of the persistent fuel scarcity, Adigun said that the Labour Unions are not comfortable with the scarcity while calling on government to put an end to it.
“We call on all the political leaders in this country to put the people first. We come togetherw every year to celebrate the efforts of our heroes past and call on the leaders to prioritise the welfare of our workers. Government at all levels should enact policies and programmes that will be people-oriented.
“On fuel scarcity, Labour is not comfortable with that. Government has not given us convincing reason why we are having scarcity. We want fuel to be back in every filling stations.”