…Says, NLC did not endorse Uzodinma
The recent stand-off between the Nigerian Labour Congress and Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state may have thrown up a lot of dark areas in the present administration.
This is also as the Imo state Chairman of the NLC, Comrade George Ofoegbu has said that Imo state has not implemented the N30,000 minimum wage in the state.
Ofoegbu who spoke to our correspondent on the phone said: “More than 90 percent of the states of the federation have fully implemented the minimum wage and Imo is not on that list. Of the few states outstanding, Imo is one of the three states in the South-East that have not implemented the minimum wage and its consequential adjustments. So how can we leave these more pressing issues of workers’ welfare to go around looking for who to endorse. The people that endorsed the Governor for a second tenure are not labour leaders but most likely people out to fend for their own pockets.”
Ofoegbu however noted that in some areas, Governor Uzodinma may have done well but he nevertheless stressed that: “No matter what personal benefit anybody may obtain from this government, the labour standard remains that if one worker is not paid, no worker has been paid; if one pensioner has not been paid, then pensioners have not been paid and if one teacher did not get his salary, then no teacher has been paid.”
He regretted that the lockdown and withdrawal of services of its affiliates imposed on Imo by the NLC was unfortunate, but became necessary following a series of violent attacks and interference in the affairs of the Imo NLC which reached a breaking point last May 1st when workers were holding their Workers’ Day rally at the Labour House.
“For the second time in two months, the Imo state government deployed thugs and hoodlums backed by security operatives to attack and beat up workers at the Labour House on May Day. About forty canopies, furniture and then electronics set up for the labour rally were destroyed by the rampaging thugs. Two of our members were admitted to hospital while one, the DJ’s arm, was broken. This is why Organized Labour at the National Level took a firm decision to sanction the state, deter the governor from such high-handedness and by so doing, protect it’s members.
