Mr Ayuba Wabba, the NLC President made the call on Tuesday in commemoration of the 2020 International Workers’ Memorial Day with the theme: “Stop the Pandemic at Work”.

“On this occasion, we make the point that labour is not a commodity to be taken, trampled, and tossed aside.

“Workers create the wealth and demand a decent fraction of the reward of their efforts.

“We urge workers everywhere to continue to draw inspiration from the fact that without our sweat, no sweet gain can be made.

“Without the twitching of our muscles, no socio-economic puzzle can be solved.

“In reciprocation of the enormous sacrifice made by workers, we urge employers of labour to show solidarity with the sacrifice of our workers and people by ensuring wage protection, income support and social inclusion at these trying times.

“This is not the time to stop or deduct from workers’ salaries. Such an action would be both illogical and illegal as workers’ salaries are core elements of employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements.

“We have asked our affiliates and state councils to resist any salary deduction on the account of COVID-19.

“We reassure our workers that our priority in these trying times remains the cautious, gradual, evidence-led and smart restart of the economy so that our workers can go back to work,” he said.

He said that the NLC was completely committed to the recovery of lost jobs, protection of wages, support for income and livelihood and improvement of Nigeria’s social safety net.

Wabba, while speaking on the commemoration of the day said the celebration was in the memory of workers who had paid the supreme sacrifice in the course of their duties as workers or as activists fighting for the rights and interests of the working class.

He said that it was also a day to remember workers, who had lost some limbs, suffered injury and other forms of severe loss while at their work places.

“The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Stop the Pandemic at Work”.

“This is significant coming at the epoch of the global fight against the novel corona virus disease otherwise known as COVID-19.

“The contribution of frontline workers, especially healthcare workers, has become the only buffer between deaths in thousands and deaths in millions.

“Every day, our healthcare workers courageously dare the stare of death in selfless service to rescue the lives of others.

“On a day like this, we salute the uncommon love, faith, courage, and sacrifice by frontline workers who have given more than what the call of duty demands to give hope to humanity,” he said.

He said that the society would forever remain in indebted to thousands of healthcare workers, transport workers, utility employees, journalists.

“Even workers in the informal sector who have continued to show up at their duty posts despite the threat of death, dearth of working tools and paucity of gratitude,” he said.

The NLC president condoled with the families of workers who had paid the supreme sacrifice in the fight against COVID-19.

He assured them that their labours would not be in vain and their unquantifiable sacrifice would never be forgotten.

“We also wish to use this commemoration to ask government and employers in the private sector to throw in sufficient weight to make the load of our frontline workers easier.

“We demand sufficient personal protection equipment, hand sanitizers, functional wash rooms, suitable rest rooms and other facilities to make the work of our brave warriors on the health frontline less herculean than it already is.

“Our health workers and other frontline workers are not on a suicide mission.

“They simply want to save lives. The least government and employers can do is to help them keep their lives so that they can go on saving other lives.

“We commend the Federal Government for the insurance cover and enhanced incentives provided for frontline health workers. We urge states to follow suit.

“We also commend the Sokoto State government for leading the way in this regard,” he said.

He however noted that Nigeria would be celebrating its 60th Independence, saying it was important to point out that without workers, the independence would have remained a pipe dream.

He further called on the leadership of the industrial unions to ensure that health and safety facilities and guidelines such as running water, soaps, sanitizers, protective masks and social distancing were made available and enforced at different workplaces.

He noted that this would be part of smart measures to restart the economy, “while the government should intensify COVID-19 testing (build at least a test centre in each state), contact tracing, public fumigation, and robust public health education.”

Wabba said given the current lockdown and in line with global realities, 2020 May Day celebration would be low key.

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Alhaji Babasheikh Haruna, the Special Assistant on Media to Gov. Babagana Zulum, announced this in a statement issued in Maiduguri on Tuesday.

Haruna disclosed that the approval was to settle backlog of five months of salary arrears owed workers of the Borno State Hotels and Maiduguri International Hotel.

He added that workers of the Borno State Investment Company would receive seven months’ salary owed them from January to July, this year.

Haruna explained that N17.91 million was for payment of salary arrears to workers of the hotels while N11 million was to settle salary arrears of workers of the investment company.

“The organisations, hitherto, supposed to be self-sustaining but due to poor revenue generations, the state government offered a bailout to pay the backlog salaries of these companies.

“Those to benefit from the governor’s magnanimity include casual staff of the State Hotels Maiduguri and Biu,” he said.

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Aregbesola, who hosted the Federal Government Advocacy Team on the Digital Switch Over, over the weekend in Osogbo, explained that he was not happy with the payment of modulated salary in the state, in which some cadres of the workers get 50 per cent and 75 per cent of their monthly earnings.

According to the governor “no reasonable person or government would be happy for being incapacitated to perform his/its required responsibility”.

“We are not happy paying modulated salary to our workers in the civil service and political appointees, we are compelled by the financial reality; we are constrained.

“Contrary to the lies you are being fed, it is not all our workers that receive half salary. Workers on level 1-7, being the most vulnerable and the largest chunk of the workforce are being paid full salary. Workers on level 8-11 showed understanding with the government to accept 75% of their salary.

“It is only workers on grade level 12 upward that receive 50% of their salary. The workers have shown maturity, support and understanding. We acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifice and support of the workers.”

“Before our government, Osogbo roads were very narrow and since there was no development, there was no heavy traffic and the roads accommodated the users. However, there was influx of people to the state since our administration came on board. There was heavy traffic on the Osogbo roads and they could not accommodate the traffic anymore.

“We started construction of new roads and rehabilitation of some existing ones to ease traffic. As a visionary government, we know that by the time our economic plan begins to grow, the Osogbo roads would become busier, so we come up with the construction of Osogbo East Bypass road.

“The Osogbo east bypass road has four big bridges. Anybody that does not have business in Osogbo will take the road to their various destinations. This will reduce traffic on Osogbo township roads. We constructed the road for economic purposes. People that are narrow in thinking do not know that.

“We know that things are hard and the state is passing through financial difficulty. But we are undeterred by the challenges. Our credo is to see that our people explore their freedom for economic prosperity.

“Our joy is in the fact that we will leave a legacy that will transform into economic prosperity for the people and the state. Like the credo of our mentor, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, we want freedom for all, life more abundant,” Aregbesola said.

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