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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kebbi Council, has defended the state government’s record on workers’ welfare.
The NLC Chairman, Alhaji Murtala Usman, stated this while briefing newsmen on Monday in Birnin Kebbi in response to an Independence Day address by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Abubakar Malami.
Usman said the NLC acknowledged the commitments contained in Malami’s address, including proposals on minimum wage, promotions, pensions and gratuities, transportation, healthcare, housing, retirement age and workers’ participation in governance.
He, however, said the union could not accept what he described as sweeping allegations that Kebbi workers were generally suffering because the government failed to pay pensions, implement promotions or unlawfully deducted workers’ salaries.
“Trade unionism is not conducted through rumour. It is conducted through evidence, negotiation, collective action where necessary, and institutional engagement,” he said.
The NLC chairman said the union had maintained continuous engagement with the state government since the assumption of office of Gov. Nasir Idris in 2023 on issues affecting workers.
He said the engagement had been based on collective bargaining, social dialogue, consultation and negotiated settlement of industrial disputes.
According to him, the union had raised several issues with government, while some demands had been addressed and others remained under negotiation.
Usman said the state government had approved and implemented a minimum wage of N75,000, which, according to him, was above the N70,000 federal minimum wage benchmark.
He described the development as a significant response to workers’ demands, while stressing that it did not mean the struggles for improved welfare and purchasing power were over.
“With inflation and the rising cost of living, the NLC will continue to demand further improvements in workers’ purchasing power and conditions of service,” he said.
Usman acknowledged Malami’s proposal to pay workers a minimum wage of N110,000 if elected governor in 2027.
He, however, said political promises on workers’ welfare should be assessed based on cost, funding, sustainability, implementation mechanisms and timelines.
“Announcing a higher figure during an election campaign is easy. But the real test is the capacity and willingness to negotiate, fund, implement and sustain such commitments when in government,” he said.
The labour leader said workers deserved policies that could be implemented rather than “merely attractive figures and campaign rhetoric.”
He said the union would continue to demand more from government while acknowledging positive interventions where they had been made.
Usman listed several interventions by the present administration, including the completion and equipping of the state Secretariat, payment of the N75,000 minimum wage and timely payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities.
Others, he said, included the payment of responsibility allowance to primary school teachers, recruitment of 2,568 health workers and 2,000 qualified teachers.
He added that the government had extended the retirement age of teachers, medical and veterinary doctors from 60 to 65 years and the period of service from 35 to 40 years.
According to him, the administration has also renovated 25 general hospitals and revitalised 117 primary healthcare centres, while recruiting 500 GAVI personnel into the state payroll.
He said other interventions included the strengthening of health-sector departments, road construction and rehabilitation, provision of transport buses and subsidised transportation, as well as annual distribution of grains and farm inputs to workers.
The NLC chairman further cited interventions in the judiciary, including improvement of conditions of service and judicial infrastructure.
He said the government had rehabilitated 320 junior and senior secondary schools, constructed 30 new junior secondary schools and 18 senior secondary schools, and supplied more than 2,000 desktop computers to 100 schools.
Usman said the administration had also implemented the new minimum wage for staff of the Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero (KSUSTA) and Kebbi State Polytechnic, including consequential salary adjustments for KSUSTA staff.
He stressed, however, that the interventions did not extinguish the legitimate demands of workers.
“The NLC is not blind to the challenges confronting workers. We know that the purchasing power of workers has been weakened by inflation and the rising cost of living.
“We know that workers have legitimate concerns regarding promotions, allowances, career progression, pensions, gratuities and other conditions of service.
“We will continue to pursue these issues,” he said.
Usman reiterated that the NLC remained independent and non-partisan, stressing that the union would neither become an appendage of the government nor an instrument of political opposition.
He said the union would negotiate with the government, commend positive interventions, demand improvements where necessary, challenge government whenever workers’ rights were infringed and mobilise workers lawfully when collective action became necessary.
The NLC chairman urged Malami and other political actors in the state to base their campaigns on facts and implementable programmes.
“ If there are genuine cases of workers whose salaries have been unlawfully deducted, whose promotions have not been implemented, or whose pensions and gratuities remain outstanding, let the evidence be presented,” he said.
He said the NLC was ready to examine and pursue genuine grievances through established collective-bargaining and grievance-resolution mechanisms.
Usman urged political actors to avoid using workers’ welfare as a tool for partisan political manipulation.
He said workers were entitled to accurate information, fair treatment, decent work, fair remuneration, career progression, social protection, security of employment and timely payment of legitimate entitlements.
“ Let the political contest be about who can deliver better conditions of service, not about who can make the loudest allegation.
“ Let candidates present implementable programmes, not merely attractive promises. Let workers judge the record, policies and capacity to implement them,” the NLC chairman said. (NAN)
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