BY CLETUS NGWODO
Pensioners in the state have been assured of the state government’s commitment to their welfare and that it has almost cleared the backlog of pensions.
The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ofobruku, who made this known while speaking with journalists during the fifth edition of Journalists’ Hangout at the NUJ Press Centre in Asaba, also encouraged pensioners to choose credible PFAs that will manage their pension to avoid regrets in the future.
Comrade Ofobruku said Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has expressed determination to start the implementation of the New Minimum Wage, adding that the template for the payment of junior workers has been prepared.
He said the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government has negatively affected civil servants, hence, the upward review of the minimum wage.
The labour leader noted that the take-home of an average civil servant would not be enough to meet their needs, just as he encouraged workers to go into farming as an alternative source of income.
The state NLC chairman explained that organised labour was working to make life better for workers and urged journalists to get appropriate information on workers’ issues before publication. He urged workers to jettison the rumour that another perimeter would be used for their payment of the new wage.
On the issue of pensioners, Comrade Ofobruku said the state government has almost cleared the backlog owed retirees and commended Governor Oborevwori for keeping to his promise on the issue.
He encouraged pensioners and workers in active service to carefully choose the company that would manage their pensions to avoid regrets in future.
The State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Martins Bolum and the Secretary of the State Bureau of Pensions, Comrade Lawson Efenudu, noted that workers’ welfare would not be sidelined as policies that would better their lives had always been championed by the labour leaders. The state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Churchill Oyowe said the forum would enable media practitioners to get firsthand information from stakeholders to enable them to provide the people with accurate information.
Comrade Oyowe commended the labour leaders for clarifying issues raised by the journalists.
