Labor alerts on oil sector deregulation
Date 2009/7/4 19:12:30 | Topic: Afran
|  The Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) has alerted workers to a plan by the Federal Government to commence full deregulation of the oil industry by the beginning of next month.
NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, gave the warning in Maiduguri, Borno State, while addressing workers as part of the nationwide protest against the deregulation of the oil industry, agitation for increase in minimum wage to N52, 200 and the implementation of the electoral reforms.
According the NLC president, since Labor creates wealth which the people in government have decided to squander while a majority of the people suffer, the only option left is for them to ground wealth creation.
He said: "The wheel around our symbol in NLC logo signifies the toil of the workers moving the wheel to create wealth, and the minority group in government has decided to take our own natural resources which is oil beyond our reach, then the only plausible option is to ground the wheel that creates the wealth. The day deregulation is firmly entrenched in this country, Nigerian workers will stop running the wheel and let us see the wealth they will generate and use against us."
Omar said that the existing minimum wage was too poor when compared to the level of inflation in the country and the escalating cost of goods and services, adding that the revenue of government was sufficient enough to pay the minimum wage being agitated for by the workers.
While expressing solidarity with workers, former NLC President, Ali Ciroma, said it was against the rule of justice for political office holders elected to serve the people to increase their own salaries by over 800 per cent while the minimum wage of workers remained stagnant at N 5,500.
He said government should show enough political will to implement the Uwais panel on electoral reform report because it was the only way by which the will of the people through their votes could count.
According to him, the only way for democracy to thrive in Nigeria is to implement the report, which is targeted at eliminating electoral fraud and bringing about good leadership that will take the country to the next level.
As was the case in other state capitals where NLC held similar rallies, a letter was delivered to the Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, by Omar for onward delivery to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
Responding, Sheriff thanked the leadership of NLC and workers generally for toeing the path of peace and urged them to embrace dialogue in their quest for a better society and workers' welfare. He assured them that he would personally deliver the letter to the President.
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