The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has asked the Organised Labour to live up to its responsibility of protecting workers welfare by checking on unfriendly policies of the governmentt in the area of increase in fuel pump price and hike in electricity tarriff.
Wike stated this at the commissioning of the Trade Unions Congress( TUC) Building in Port Harcourt.
Wike said the labour union had reduced itself to only issues of minimum wage rather than other pressing matters of the nation. which he referred to as” pursuing the shadow instead of the substance”.
The governor revealed Labour’s insincerity in tackling issues of national concerns under Goodluck and what obtained now saying it was because of the region that he comes from and urged Labour to have a rethink.
Wike thereafter donated the sum of N50MILLION as a take off grant and a coaster bus for the trade union congress.
In his response, the National President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) ,Quadri A Olaleye thanked the governor for his freindly disposition and donation to the TUC, but reminded him that minimum wage was a priority issue in the labour all over the world.
According to him, labour’s protest to stop the National Assembly from removing the national minimum wage from the Legislative Executive List to the Legislative Concurrent List was in order as that was the practice globally.
Olaleye reminded Wike that minimum wage was number one on President Biden’s priority list in the United States and the welfare of Nigerian workers can not be anything less.
Olaleye who described the TUC building as an international edifice, lauded the governor for prompt construction and delivery of the TUC building and said it would serve the purpose of a rallying point for Labour in the state.
He thanked the governor for signing the minimum wage agreement and maintaining Industrial harmony in the state.
