The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said workers would only vote for candidates and parties who subscribed to her charter of demands in 2023 General election.
NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said this in a statement Tuesday in Abua.
“The bottom-line is that Nigerian workers are completely tired of cycles of broken promises that threaten to turn our hopes into nightmares. We remain committed to the hope of a great Nigeria.
“Nigerian workers have resolved to participate actively in politics. In contrast to the shameful reduction of the political discourse to mundane altercation on zoning formular amidst the burning national questions of insecurity, inflation and insolvency of the economy, Nigerian workers would engage the 2023 general election on issues premise. We have developed a Workers Charter of Demands as our irreducible minimum standard. We will only vote candidates and parties that subscribe to our Charter of Demands.
“This Easter, we ask government and private sector employers to meet workers halfway and put a glow to our hopes. We demand respect for Collective Bargaining Agreements signed with unions in our tertiary institutions and other sectors. States yet to fully implement the national minimum wage should do so immediately. We demand immediate clearing of pension arrears owed our retirees. Employers should deliver on prompt salary payment, periodic salary increment, promotion, regular training, access to social housing, affordable healthcare, paid vacation cumsick leave and compensation for injury at work.
“The recent mass killings in Plateau State, the terrorist assault on Kaduna Airport and the Abuja-Kaduna train bomb attack that killed innocent passengers including the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress, Barr. Musa Lawal Ozigi and Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Kwara State, Comrade Akinsola Akinwunmi and subsequent kidnapping of tens of passengers have come not only as a shocker to most Nigerians but also as an awakening to the reality of the expansion of the wings of evil on our shores. We demand that government must ensure the swift and safe return of all abductees. We also demand compensation for all those killed and injured in the attack.
“Millions of Nigerian university students especially those attending public citadels of higher learning are celebrating Easter outside the precincts of their campuses not by reason of choice but because our country cut short their hopes. The inability of the government to deliver on commitments it reached with our university workers both academic and non-academic has ensured that the streak of instability battering and buffeting our tertiary education system remain unresolved.
“It is even most tragic that majority of the affected students are children from poor homes whose parents cannot afford to pay the outrageous fees charged by private universities. Tragically, while students from poor homes are held back by frustrating cycles of strike actions, the children of the rich and powerful are in private campuses learning. There is no sadder premiere of the Social Apartheid in our society than the intermittent and protracted strike actions in our public universities.
“It is difficult to imagine that many workers in Nigeria are yet to enjoy the national minimum wage almost four years after being signed into law. Particularly culpable are Cross River, Taraba and Zamfara states. Nigerian pensioners are not spared as many of them are denied their gratuity and pension arrears. Tragically, while wages remain the same and sometimes are unpaid, the cost of living keeps skyrocketing. Inflation has eroded the purchasing power of workers as the Naira continues to lose its value. We must stress that all workers including military, police, and para-military deserve decent wages and pension,” he said.