Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Rivers State says about 20 percent of retired workers have been frustrated to death by a new pension scheme for workers in the state adopted from a federal law, which labour in the state says has rather frustrated retiring workers. This is as pensioners boycotted the May Day rally in Port Harcourt on May 1, 2017.
The state chairman of NLC, Beatrice Bitibo, who poured the lamentations of the retirees, said the law came into effect about five years before now, and urged the panel looking into the complaint of retirees to hasten up because retirees were dying without being paid their gratuity and pensions.
She said labour complained when the law was being domiciled in the state but that their protest was not heeded by the administration in power then.
She said: “This law killing our people must be repealed. The panel looking into this law must move fast,” and called for payment of pension alongside salaries to avoid owing pensioners.
On a new health contributed fund, the workers said a vehement ‘no’ to any further deductions, saying workers have been overdrawn; housing scheme, pension scheme and now health scheme. The boss asked; “What will we use to feed our families if the entire salary goes into deductions? If the government goes ahead to deduct this one, we will go to war”.
Labour also frowned at a racket in the state’s civil service where political leaders allegedly replace dead or retiring workers with their relations instead of calling for formal employment.
Bitibo however commended the Rivers State Government on regular payment of salaries of workers of the state at a time she said most other states owed heavily. She called on workers to think outside the box so as to help employers out of financial crisis and reduce mass sack.
Addressing workers, the Gov Wike assured workers under the payroll of the state government their salaries and emoluments would be promptly and regularly paid. Wike said workers welfare would always be placed on the administration’s front burner.
The governor who was represented by the secretary to the state government, Kenneth Kobani, said: “In this period of economic difficulty, we remain committed to fulfilling all pledges made to our workers. Let me reassure our workers that salaries and emoluments of workers will remain a top priority of my administration”.
He stressed that issues of workers welfare are given priority by his administration because he believes that the workers are contributors to the development of the state. “I recognise the role of workers in the development of our state. They will always get benefits of working for the state,” Wike said.
