NLC pickets JEDC, other public agencies in Benue

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has picketed the zonal headquarters of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) in Makurdi, the Benue state Environmental Management Agency and Benue state Council for Arts and Culture for anti-labour practices.

Benue state chairman of the joint negotiation council 1, 2 and 3, Comrade Ojema Ojotu, who led members of the council to the affected agencies during an exercise to mark the World Day for decent work in Makurdi, decried A situation where workers were made to work for several years on casual basis with poor pay conditions.

Comrade Ojotu warned that congress would not hesitate to return to access the level of compliance and charged those in the helms of affairs to press for relevant authorities to convert the casual workers to permanent staff as well as improve on the working conditions and regular payment of emoluments to the affected workers for optimum performance.

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The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, whose speech was presented by the second Vice Chairman of the NLC in the state, Comrade Terkimbi Uza, stated that investment in care economy means prioritizing investment in extended social protection to women, children, secured parental leave for both gender and change in work arrangement to allow workers achieve the critical balance between work and family.

Wabba stated that labour is tired of a world where workers are exposed to worsening health and safety situations with increased cases of deaths and injuries at work.

“We reject a world of increased demand for overtime work without commensurate reward. We reject a work where jobs are not secured and hugely precarious. We reject the ascendancy of a work order denoted by casual, contract, or outsourced work. We will continue to frown at child labour,” he said.

The NLC president called for tax reforms in a manner that brings more productive people into the tax net, “progressive enough to ensure that the rich pay taxes commensurate to their income and responsive enough to ensure that taxes are applied to reduce social inequality in the system.”

Wabba advocated for stringent penalty to be applied to all employers who are not conforming to the provisions of the labour law and called on all tiers of government in the country to commence full implementation of the N30, 000 national minimum wage so that workers would have a reason to smile at the end of October.

In their separate remarks, the regional manager of Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Joseph Kpaakpa commended the NLC for their peaceful disposition in the course of agitation for improved staff welfare and promised to communicate the demands of the congress to the appropriate authority for consideration.

At the Benue state Environmental Management Agency, the General Manager, Mr. Solomon Onah, said he has forwarded a list of casual workers to the office of state head of service as demanded by Governor Samuel Orton for consideration.