22 May 2016, Asaba — The Delta State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has called on workers in the state to remain calm and support all effort by the Federal Government and Congress in ensuring that the dynamics of liberalization of the downstream sector provide a long-term solution to the problems plaguing the sector.
The council in a statement by its factional Chairman, Williams Akporeha urged the government to ensure that the benefits of the policy were ploughed back into social security, infrastructure, equipping security agencies, and all that would improve Nigerians’ life.
While insisting that the council fully supported the liberalization of the petroleum downstream sector and demanded the utilization of accrued subsidy claims to offset pension arrears and workers’ bonuses in all the states preparatory to the implementation of the new minimum wage, he said it was the responsibility of government to initiate measures to mitigate the impact of the policy on the Nigerians.
He said: “Congress advise that to immediately cushion the effect of the liberalization, funds that should have accrued for subsidy claims should promptly be deployed now to all the states to provide succour in the form of bonuses to the workers, settle pension arrears and pay bonuses to security agencies especially Police to strengthen security.”
He said: “While the bonuses will serve as immediate and temporary relief to workers, the Federal Government must move very quickly to consider an increase in workers’ salary in terms of upward review of the minimum wage.”
On the present uncertainties trailing government’s announcement of liberalization of the petroleum downstream, Akporeha urged all workers in Delta state to remain calm and support all effort by Government and Congress in ensuring that the dynamics of liberalization of the downstream sector would eventually provide long-term solution to the problem that had plagued the sector for a long time.
*Ehi Eweka – Vanguard
