Nigeria (Blank NEWS Online) –By Albert OGRAKA:
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and some of its affiliate unions in Delta state, on Friday, October 6, 2017 organized a walk rally and picketing of some companies in Asaba, the state capital to mark the 10th anniversary of the World Day for Decent Work (WDDW), tagged “End Corporate Greed: Nigerian Workers Demand Decent Work and Pay Rise” which holds annually on October 7.
The unionists led by the Chairman, Delta state chapter of NLC, Comrade Jonathan Jemirieyigbe, walked from Labour House, through Ekumeku/Inter Bau round-about to Summit junction on the Asaba – Benin express way, chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards with various inscriptions.
Inscriptions in some of the placards read: “End corporate greed: Nigerian workers need decent work and pay rise”, “Join union to activate decent work”, No union, no decent work”, Nigerian workers say no to casualization”, “Nigerian workers say no to contract work” among others.
Addressing workers and members of the public, the NLC state chairman, Comrade Jonathan Jemirieyigbe who explained that corporate greed has always been the main enemy of decent work, noted that decent work needs to be at the top of everyone’s agenda – working people, employers and governments.
According to him, “Our workers, through trade unions demand an end to corporate greed and the need for a pay rise. Our workers want to achieve decent work: acceptable working hours, fair wages, sick pay, paid leave, etc. None of these things have been given to workers without their organizing and mobilizing together to demand them. In some cases, they have not been achieved yet, and in others they are being stripped away.”
“The enemy of decent work is, and always has been, corporate greed where excess profits are made at the expense of working people, and in recent years profits have been going up while wages have been going down as a proportion of total wealth produced.
While calling on the erring companies to act responsibly and get back to the negotiating table, the NLC boss said the trade unions are determined to sit down with employers of labour to collectively bargain for pay rise and good working condition for the workers.
He lamented that some companies do not have a collective agreement with workers and do not negotiate with a union over working conditions for their workers, especially those on contract and vowed to picket some of the companies that refuses to recognize or negotiate with trade unions.
He further noted that the present Federal and state Government wages are certainly low, which is why the Labour unions are demanding for the payment of decent wages.
Earlier, the Deputy General Secretary of National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather And Non-metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANPE), Mr. Augustine Ekanem insisted that all the trade unions in the world will stand up for decent work, and that the global focus is on the world struggle for living minimum wages and a pay rise for all workers.
He therefore urged workers who have been liberated to join in the struggle to help workers who are presently in penury as a result of poor pay, due to casualization and other illegal contractual engagements.
In an interview with Blank NEWS Online, Delta state Secretary of NLC, Comrade Innocent Ofuonyeadi said decent work must be at the centre of government actions to bring back economic growth and build a new global economy that puts people first.
According to him, “Governments should heed the call from working women and men for decent wages, safe and secure jobs, and an end to greedy corporations setting the rules of the economy. This means ensuring that minimum wage-floors must be enough to ensure a decent standard of living, and that all workers must have the right to join a union and bargain collectively.”
Those who participated in the rally were leaders and members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and affiliate unions which include, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Judiciary Staff Association of Nigeria (JUSAN) among others.
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Nigeria (Blank NEWS Online) –
E.I.C: Albert Eruorhe Ograka
