Anambra State workers had on Wednesday, May 1, manifested their anger over the absence of the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo at the worker’s day rally.
Soludo had been represented at the Alex Ekwueme Square by Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, his Deputy Governor.
The workers had shared their frustrations, lamenting that said Soludo stayed away from the function because he was scared of addressing the long list of needs presented by the NLC and TUC.
The workers also insisted that he was not a worker friendly governor and had initially refused to file out for the usual parade which is synonymous with the rally.
The workers repeatedly shouted “No” to the many appeals for them to file out for the parade, insisting that Governor Soludo had never attended workers’ function since he became governor.
However, they eventually albeit grudgingly participated in the parade.
The Deputy Governor who later addressed the protesting workers after several efforts to calm them, assured that their grievances would soon be addressed.
Earlier, the workers in Anambra state had presented a long list of demands, calling on Soludo to suspend the docking of the contributory pension from their salaries to ensure industrial harmony in the state.
What They’re Saying:
“Governor Soludo as a worker-friendly governor is aware of your plights. You will definitely hear from him soon.” The Deputy Governor had said.
Meanwhile, the state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Humphrey Nwafor, revealed that the workers were worried over the “improper introduction and implementation of the contributory pension scheme.”
“From the beginning of the scheme, monies deducted were rarely remitted to the Pension Fund Administrators (PFA).
“Before the present administration came on board, the state were deducting only the workers part of the contribution even without remitting same to the various PFA’s and refused to pay the government part.
“The organized labour is dissatisfied with the continued deduction even after the reoccurring May Day prayers by organized labour requesting for the suspensionof the scheme.
“We call on the governor, who we believe is not only worker friendly but hate injustice with passion, as a matter of urgency, to suspend the deduction of the contributory pension from the workers’ salary so as to ensure industrial harmony in the state.” Nwafor finished.
Why It Matters:
There are number of factors responsible for the State workers’ annoyance and some of them include:
- Lack of Representation: Soludo’s absence at the May Day rally shows a lack of concern, representation and engagement with the issues of his state workers. His absence at the rally also sends a message of disregard for the workers’ issues and therefore, undermining their importance.
- Failure to Address Needs: Soludo’s decision to stay away from the rally, and potentially avoid addressing the long list of needs presented by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) could be seen as the the governor being indifferent to the challenges faced by workers.
- Perceived Unfriendliness: The workers’ claim that Governor Soludo is not worker-friendly suggests a deeper dissatisfaction with his administration’s approach to labor-related issues and his absence at the rally does nothing to dispel this perception.
Bottom Line:
The State workers’ demands, including for a suspension of pension deductions from their salaries, shows that there are deep grievances between the State Government and its workers and therefore, the need for Soludo to step up and address their concerns is of utmost importance.
