Minimum Wage: You Have Short-Changed Workers APC Accuses Delta Govt

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC has berated the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP led state government of short-changing workers with the approval of just one month arrears to the new minimum wage.

In a press release obtained by ASABA METRO, the opposition party, further accused Labour Union Leaders in the state of feeding their selfish interest at the expense of thousands of civil servants whose hopes of getting over six months arrears of the new wage have been crushed.

The position of the party conveyed on Monday, January 13, by the State Publicity Secretary, Barr. Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina reads below.

The welfare of the people is the sole responsibility of every responsible and masses’ inclined government, and it is expected to be taken seriously and above selfish and anti-workers’ interest. 

The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Delta State notes with sadness, the recently approved minimum wage for Delta State civil servants. In fact, the events leading to the approval of the new minimum wage are nothing but political and economic abracadabra!

Before the approval of the new minimum wage for the Federal civil servants, it was the position of Delta State Government that the State would pay the new minimum wage immediately Federal Government reached an agreement with the organized labour at the Federal level.

Unfortunately, the State government reneged on her earlier position and engaged in hanky-panky with some Labour Leaders in Delta State, over the welfare of the civil servants.

The practice of Labour Union in Nigeria is that whenever there is a meeting between the government and Labour Union in respect of welfare and/ or salaries of its members, whatever proposal made by the government is usually reported back to the larger body of the Union for ratification.

In Delta State, because of the putrid interest of some few Labour Leaders in Delta State and agents of retrogression of Delta State Government, there was no consultation and ratification of what the government proposed as new minimum wage and when same would take effect! The enemies of progress hurriedly foisted same on civil servants in Delta State.

While Delta State civil servants were hopeful that the arrears of their salaries would take effect from April 2019 as applicable at the federal level, Delta State Government, having fed the selected Labour Union Leaders with soured food, decided to cut short the hope of Delta civil servants, by decreeing to pay arrears for the new minimum wage with effect from November, 2019 instead of April 2019 or earlier months.

The few selfish Labour Leaders, without considering the feelings of those they represent, hurriedly came on air to congratulate Delta State government for short-changing Delta State civil servants. What a people!

APC, Delta State condemns in totality the reprehensible and anti-peoples’ decision of Delta State government and her allies in the Labour Union. In view of the huge finances at the disposal of the State government, what was approved as the date/month of commencement of the new minimum wage is nothing but “government and institutional robbery” of the civil servants in Delta State.

We want to use this medium to urge civil servants in Delta State to hold their leaders accountable for the non-improvement in their finances and work conditions. They should ask questions, as some few in the Labour Union have eaten soured grapes and their teeth are set at edge.