By Onomiguren Agbamu
Work Activities in Delta state have been Shutdown following the National Industrial strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress,(NLC) across the State.
Ndokwa Vanguard reporters while monitoring the level of compliance as directed by national body of the NLC, and alongside the leader of the organized Labour compliance and enforcement team, and Trade Union Congress (TUC) comrade Martin Bolum observed that there was 95 percent Compliance in the state.
Places monitored include; Federal Medical Centre, Banks, Specialist Hospital, DDPA, Federal High court, State Secretariat Asaba and Denis Osadebay University were all locked and key at the State capital.
Addressing journalists, Delta State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Chief Goodluck Ofobrukun said the agitation for the new minimum becomes imperative because Nigerians workers are suffering, that the Federal Government has been adamant to list to plight of workers to approve a new minimum wage and take care of the entire citizenry.
Ofobrukun added that for the past one year the Federal Government has been dragging their feet, and has refused to listen to the Nigerian workers.
Chief Goodluck revealed that the National Assembly has approved grants of whopping sum of 35 billions palliative to supreme court judges and 70 billions palliative to members of the National Assembly and nothing for Nigerians workers.
He maintained that NLC is saying their policies are pauperizing Nigerians workers, and they should do something, and since they don’t want to listen, we have decided to withdraw our services.
When asked if the figures the NLC agitating for are realistic, he said, if a senator gets 30 million monthly, and his newspaper allowance is 1.2million a month, how you say the workers that work from 1st to 31st cannot get 494 thousand?
“ What have they said? Can 60 thousand pay for bedsitter in Asaba? Can it transport you to work? So they be serious about the negotiations”
” We are ready this time around to tell the Federal Government that Nigerians workers should be well paid”
Earlier, the Chairman of TUC,Delta State, comrade Martin Bolum said the monitoring was to ensure that there was total Compliance and enforcement of the strike on offices that seen to be reluctant to the Shutdown, and also for the federal government to listen to workers and agree on a minimum wage, and to reverse the electricity tariff to where it was.
