The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council Labour Director, Mr Isa Aremu, says the party’s presidential candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu will prioritise the welfare of workers if elected in 2023.
Aremu, who is also the Director General, Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labour Studies, Ilorin, Kwara State, stated this when he met with leaders and members of the Plateau chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress on Sunday in Jos.
The director who lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for being good and friendly to Nigerian workers advised them to vote for someone who would continue with the noble legacy.
”No doubt there are a lot of challenges facing this country and we can’t deny it but one thing we can say is that President Buhari is a labour-friendly President and the facts are there for everyone to see.
”One thing he did is that he resisted the pressure to retrench workers; even in the face of recession and the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged most economies of the world, he never thought of retrenchment or downsizing the workforce.
”Every comrade respects employment, security of jobs, regular payment of salaries, a decent job, industrialisation, human rights, among others and this government has made it obligatory to pay salaries as at when due
”The President gave bailout in three tranches to governors to pay salaries of their workers and also approved and implemented the N30,000 minimum wage,” he said.
Aremu advanced that if voted, Tinubu will not only continue with the legacies of the current administration in relation to workers’ welfare but introduce new ones that will better the lots of Nigerian workers.
He added that of the major political parties in the country, the APC remained the only one that had demonstrated the willingness to ensure the Nigerian worker doesn’t suffer.
”Why we think the APC should be our direction is because it has done a lot toward the well-being of workers
”We strongly believe Tinubu will be the one to continue with the legacies of the current government in terms of addressing labour-related matters.
”Not only that his records in Lagos say it all; he was the only governor who approved and implemented the same minimum wage for his employees as that of the Federal Government workers.
”His manifesto speaks volumes because Tinubu will create decent jobs and so comrades, let’s shine our eyes as we go into the next election,” he said.
The director said that the Labour Party, a brainchild of the labour unions in the country, had deviated from its original plan, hence the need for an alternative one that would move the country forward.
”We are not here for flattery, and yes we formed the Labour Party and I even contested on its platform for the governorship of Kwara in 2019.
”But the Labour Party of today is not what we used to know; it has completely moved away from its original plan.
”As unionists, we can struggle but we must go into government so that we can influence policies that will be of great benefit to workers,” he said.
Responding, Mr Eugene Manji, NLC Chairman in Plateau, thanked Aremu and his team for the visit.
Manji who said that workers in the state were facing numerous challenges, added that the union would discuss their demands with the incoming government.
He urged states to create a Ministry of Labour Relations, saying that it would go a long to addressing most of the issues that led to disagreements between government and workers.
