This formed part of the message delivered during the May Day celebration at Eagle Square, Abuja, by the Presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, Comrades Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo.
The organised labour in Nigeria has demanded the immediate reversal of “the unconstitutional suspension of the elected Government of Rivers State via a state of emergency” by President Bola Tinubu.
This formed part of the message delivered during the May Day celebration at Eagle Square, Abuja, by the Presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, Comrades Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo.
The labour leaders urged all tiers of government to “cease actions that erode the civic space and deepen it for the sake of the nation.”
They also called for “democratic accountability, built on transparent governance, electoral reforms, and an end to the suppression of dissent.”
The labour leaders expressed deep concern over the state of insecurity in the country, calling on the Federal Government to “end what it calls the genocidal killings and bloodletting across the country,” noting that “the number one duty of the government is ensuring the safety of lives and property of the citizens.”
Reacting to pending tax legislation, they rejected the bills before the National Assembly, insisting they were drafted “without the input of the NLC and the TUC” and “impose a burden on workers while letting the rich and corporations off the hook.”
On the hike in telecommunications tariffs, they demanded an “immediate reduction from 50 percent to 35 percent.”
They further asked for an “immediate salary adjustment that is commensurate to the current economic realities in the country.”
Other demands by the organised labour included “immediate payment of all outstanding allowances, pensions and gratuities across the nation; restoration of gratuity payments; upward review of retirement age; automatic adjustment of pensions to reflect inflationary trends.”
