Labour Day: Workers urge govt. to prioritise welfare

Nigerian workers have called on government at all levels to make workers welfare paramount in order to maximise their output.

The workers made the call in separate interviews with the our reporter in Abuja on Sunday against the backdrop of the Workers’ Day Celebration on May 1.‎

Mrs Igho Johnson, a civil servant said that the salary of many government workers was poor and could not take them anywhere especially with the current recession in the country.

“The salary of government workers has never been sufficient; that is the truth, but it is worse now because we are in a recession.

“Imagine parents have to pay school fees, buy food and pay rent from this minimum wage of N18,000; how realistic is that?

“I am appealing to the government to look into our plight by increasing the minimum wage and addressing the disparity that exists in the salaries of some government workers.”

Mr Tolulope Afolabi, a teacher, decried the plight of teachers, saying it was unfortunate that teachers were still poorly paid in spite of their role in nation building.

Afolabi noted that many teachers were still being owed in the states and c‎alled on the government to ensure teachers were well paid.

“Teachers welfare is very important because the truth is that if we are poorly paid we cannot give our best.

“Imagine a teacher who has a family to cater for and is being owed salary that is not sufficient in the first place,. How do they overcome these challenges and give in their best?

“We have been pleading and will keep pleading with the government to look into the issue of teachers’ welfare; and until we see a change, it is sad to say that we will never move anywhere in this country‎.”

Mr Godwin Pius, a civil servant, said many Nigerian workers did not have job satisfaction because of the poor remuneration and working conditions.

According to Pius, in developed countries, most workers work to develop their countries because they derive optimum satisfaction from their jobs, but employees in Nigeria work to survive only.

He said workers’ day called for reflection and not celebration, adding that government needed to scale up the welfare package of workers to make the job more enticing for maximum productivity.

“Nigerian workers need motivation; incentives that will better their lives;good ideas and innovation that will make them more productive in their areas of services.

“Government should equally create avenues that will stir workers’ interest to love their jobs.

“Once this is done, other social vices among the workers will also be curtailed.

Pius also called for an upward review of the national minimum wage from N18, 000 to N56, 000 to boost workers’ morale and guarantee effective service delivery.

A Doctor in one of the government hospitals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that government should address the issue of workers welfare urgently.

The doctor noted that many government workers were living on loans; adding that many also could hardly afford three square meals daily.

According to the medical practitioner, these could pose serious health challenges such as depression and high blood pressure which could be very fatal.