Labour Unions in Ekiti Again Stage Protest on ‘Labour Hardship ‘ ,Picket MTN, Waste Management Board
Emmanuel Adeniran, Ado Ekiti
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ekiti State Council on Monday again protested against what it described as Anti Labour Act on the part of the Nigerian Government.
The NLC said the peaceful protest was used “to mark this year’s World Day for Decent Work (WDDW) which fell on the 7th of October, but being celebrated today, 8th of October, 2018”.
The protest focused on the World struggle for living minimum wages and a pay rise for all workers.
The Ekiti NLC Chairman Comrade Ade Adesanmi who was represented by his Vice -Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Gbenga said the Directive on the protest came from the National Body of NLC, and the decision was carried out Nationwide. Comrade Adeniyi said the protest was meant to correct the error in the society.
In Ekiti State, the peaceful protest kicked up from the Labour House to Fajuyi roundabout in Ado Ekiti, where the workers moved to sensitise the public on their agitations.
The labour leader while addressing the workers stated that ‘Decent work must be at the center of government actions to bring back economic growth and build a new global economy that puts people first.
He said “the NLC Demands are for employers to stop casualisation of workers in work places, pay their workers living wages, and allow their workers to form and belong to trade unions of their choice in work places in compliance with the labour laws and ILO Convention 87.
Other demands are for employers to “”Integrate these workers and their unions in your internally collective bargaining machinery in all work places in band compliance with ILO convention 98 and respect of all national laws and international Labour conventions on the right of workers. And there must be safety measures in all the workplaces ”
The NLC boss who decried government attitude to workers’plight said workers cannot be wallowing in abject poverty with precarious wage of N18,000 which he said has expired since 2015 while Government continued to delay on a new minimum wage
The workers who later moved to MTN and Ekiti Waste Management board said they decide to picket two Oraginizations -private and public because of identified antilabour acts of the managements of the organizations
The Ekiti NLC Vice Chairman while addressing the MTN Staff who initially refused to Cooperatewith the union, but later forced out of the office said the management of MTN in Nigeria has engaged in anti Labour activities ,he explained that national body of the Labour union has had several meetings with the management of the network organization to improve the working condition of their staff, but all to no avail
The NLC said workers in MTN should have regular resumption/closing time that would not infringe on their health.
“”You should be free to associate with any union. Any job that is not pensionable is not decent. They demanded that the MTN should pay hazard allowance”.
“NLC says no to exploitation, there must be collective bargaining, every work should be pensionable, the reverse is the case in MTN”the NLC boss stated.
The NLC which later moved the protest to Ekiti Waste Management board demands job security, job satisfaction and job safety for every workers irrespective of status and place of work.
They said “enough of the situation where the minority decides for the majority, we say no to economic inequality in Nigeria”.
“If paying over N20million naira monthly salary to an individual politician will not crumble the National economy, paying N50,000 as minimum wage cannot crumble the economy”.
Other Unions that participated in the protest included the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the Amalgamated of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employees, Ekiti State Chapter, Health Information Managers Association of Nigeria (HMAN), Ekiti Local government Chapter and NASU Ekiti Council.
