Workers Charge President-elect To Prioritise Socio-economic Justice

Workers in maritime, finance, electricity, manufacturing and food sectors have charged the president-elect, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu to prioritise socio-economic justice.

This is even as the workers lamented the present level of misery, poverty and hopelessness across the country as Nigerian workers on Monday, joined their counterparts globally to mark International Workers’ Day, commonly known as May Day.

The Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) has described last year as terrible and excruciating for workers and other Nigerians.

This happened as workers in the electricity, maritime, manufacturing and food union sectors, decried the present level of misery, poverty and hopelessness across the country.

On his part, the president -general,  the Maritime Workers Union under the  Comrade Adewale Adeyanju  also used the workers day celebration to call on the incoming government to be very proactive of the workers plights in the country and ensure that most of lingering issues were resolved in no distant time so  as to  give the workers a new face of hope.

Similarly, the  National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) in his call titled: restoration, the union wants the new regime to improve on the working conditions Nigerian workers because they can no longer offer their labour to slave drivers whose only interest is profit  maximization and capital mobility.

NUEE President, Comrade Martins Uzoegwu also decried the grave violation of core International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards especially, Convention 87 and 98 which Nigeria had ratified since 1960 by employers of labour over non-unionisation posture.

Speeking at the Pre-May Day programme, Comrade Onakpo Chris said, what Nigerians need most from the new regime is prioritisation of social justice.

“ILO has rightly said that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. The consistent socio-economic injustices of successive governments against the people and Nigerian workers has led us to a state where “the rich also is crying” because currently no one is safe.

“This threat can only be eliminated or reduce to its barest minimum through the creation of full and decent employment, even distribution of resources and ensuring that the people enjoys equal rights irrespective of their social statuses and political views,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the leadership of National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) expects President-elect to save the sector from going into extinction by review of another excise duty placed on cabornated drink.

The National president, Comrade Garba Ibrahim, who made this known to LEADERSHIP, called on president-elect to create better atmosphere for manufacturing sector to thrive.

“Government policies are not friendly to our industries especially food sectors with the recent introduction of excised duty and tarifd on carbonated and soft drinks by 200%  is driving our industries outside neighbouring countries,” he stressed.