The Abia State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) wants the state government to improve on the welfare of workers.
State NLC Chairman, Comrade Uche Obingwe, made the demands of the workers known on Monday during a union meeting in Umuahia, the state capital.
He said, “We pray that the Governor of Abia State and the government will reason with labour leaders and see that workers welfare are treated as the first charge, and arrears of salaries will be a thing of the past before May 1, 2018″.
Against the dwindling oil prices that seem to have affected the nation’s economy, most states of the federation face the huge task of paying their workers.
While some can manage to pay with virtually little or nothing left for developmental projects aimed at bettering the lots of her citizens, some other cannot even pay despite receiving bailout funds from the Federal Government.
However, a Professor at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in the state, Emma Osodeke, criticized the NLC Chairman for calling for the reelection bid of some state leaders.
“I do not think that our labour leaders today are familiar with the objectives of the union because it is absurd to hear Chairman of state labour union calling on workers to vote for the governor,” he said.
“The issue we should be discussing is how NLC will go on strike and close this country for three months and everything will change.”
While the leaders await the reaction of the state government, it is expected that Governor Ikpeazu Okezie takes decisive steps in paying all outstanding salaries owed over time.
