The All
Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State has criticized what it called the “putrid
interest of some few Labour in Delta State and agents of retrogression of Delta
State Government”, all of whom it accused of engaging in “hanky-panky” over the
welfare of the civil servants.
State Publicity
Secretary of the party, Barr. Sylvester Imonina made the claims in a statement
entitled: Minimum wage: You have short-changed workers, Delta APC accuses Govt.”,
the events leading to the approval of the new minimum wage are nothing but political
and economic abracadabra.
Details of
the press statement are reproduced hereunder.
MINIMUM
WAGE: YOU HAVE SHORT-CHANGED WORKERS, DELTA APC ACCUSES GOVT.
The welfare
of the people is the sole responsibility of every responsible and masses'
inclined government, and it is expected to be taken seriously and above selfish
and anti-workers' interest.
The All
Progressives Congress (APC), in Delta State notes with sadness, the recently
approved minimum wage for Delta State civil servants. In fact, the events
leading to the approval of the new minimum wage are nothing but political and
economic abracadabra!
Before the
approval of the new minimum wage for the Federal civil servants, it was the
position of Delta State Government that the State would pay the new minimum
wage immediately Federal Government reached an agreement with the organized
labour at the Federal level. Unfortunately, the State government reneged on her
earlier position and engaged in hanky-panky with some Labour Leaders in Delta
State, over the welfare of the civil servants.
The practice
of Labour Union in Nigeria is that whenever there is a meeting between the
government and Labour Union in respect of welfare and/ or salaries of its
members, whatever proposal made by the government is usually reported back to
the larger body of the Union for ratification. In Delta State, because of the
putrid interest of some few Labour Leaders in Delta State and agents of
retrogression of Delta State Government, there was no consultation and
ratification of what the government proposed as new minimum wage and when same
would take effect! The enemies of progress hurriedly foisted same on civil
servants in Delta State.
While Delta
State civil servants were hopeful that the arrears of their salaries would take
effect from April 2019 as applicable at the federal level, Delta State
Government, having fed the selected Labour Union Leaders with soured food,
decided to cut short the hope of Delta civil servants, by decreeing to pay
arrears for the new minimum wage with effect from November, 2019 instead of
April 2019 or earlier months.
The few
selfish Labour Leaders, without considering the feelings of those they represent,
hurriedly came on air to congratulate Delta State government for short-changing
Delta State civil servants. What a people!
APC, Delta
State condemns in totality the reprehensible and anti-peoples' decision of
Delta State government and her allies in the Labour Union. In view of the huge
finances at the disposal of the State government, what was approved as the
date/month of commencement of the new minimum wage is nothing but
"government and institutional robbery" of the civil servants in Delta
State.
We want to
use this medium to urge civil servants in Delta State to hold their leaders
accountable for the non-improvement in their finances and work conditions. They
should ask questions, as some few in the Labour Union have eaten soured grapes
and their teeth are set at edge.
Barr.
Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina,
Publicity
Secretary, APC, Delta State.
13th of
January, 2020.
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