On Wednesday the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on government at all levels to include workers in its bailout funds, to help them establish businesses that will supplement their meagre monthly take home.
The Union also decried the economic crisis being faced by workers in Plateau State, ranging from the non-implementation of the new minimum wage, non-payment of COVID-19 allowances to frontline health workers in the 17 Local Government Councils, insufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), among other issues.
The Plateau State NLC chairman, Comrade Eugene Manji, while briefing journalists at the Union’s Secretariat in Jos said if the government does not protect workers the impacts of COVID-19 may be too adverse to handle.
He spoke at an occasion to mark the World Day for Decent Work Tagged: “A New Social Contract for Recovery and Resilience”.
“Comrades, you will agree that the financial and humanitarian impact of the Coronavirus pandemic is already a global health challenge, that has come to stay with us for many years to come if the government don’t protect workers, supply chains and encourage workers to undertake small businesses.
“It is worthy to note that the global health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is already biting harder and harder, affecting workers in different nations including Nigeria.
“Government should, therefore, include workers in their bailout funds to assist workers establish small businesses that will supplement their meagre monthly income”, he explained.
He lamented that health, transport, retail and service sectors are among the hardest hit by the pandemic due to their risk and shortage of PPEs.
‘For us as Plateau workers, each day we are continually faced with grave economic crisis ranging from non-implementation of the new minimum wage, non-payment of COVID-19 allowances to front line health workers in the 17 Local Government Councils, insufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), non-inclusion of workers on bailout funds and so many other issues”, he further decried.
“Government should urgently look at implementing the abovestated concerns, provide transport for workers to aid them to and from work, and implement worker-friendly policies”, Manji stressed.
