From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Aggrieved workers of Julius Berger construction company, yesterday, paralyzed ongoing work at projects sites in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over alleged poor salaries and welfare.
The workers, during the protest, marched along major  roads  in Port Harcourt, chanting “solidarity forever” song.
The aggrieved workers, who carried placards with different inscriptions, accused their union leadership of exploitation and insincerity.
One of the workers, who did not want his name mentioned in print, charged all workers of Julius Berger on the field to join the protest for their collective interest.
He stated that their colleagues working in the company in other states were treated well, unlike what them working in Rivers State.
The workers’ spokesman emphasized that they were not against Julius Berger company, but the workers’ union leadership, who are enriching themselves out of the sweat.
He  said they had right to express their grievance  through a peaceful demonstration because they pay N1,500 each, to the union monthly without any truth from the union.
The spokesperson expressed: “We asked our union to give us our transport allows. They (union) should tell the management to sign our transport for us.
“Lagos, Anambra, Enugu States, and Abuja, the management has paid them. In all, the workforce in Julius Berger today, is highest in Rivers State.
“The highest governor that has poured money into Julius Berger is Governor Nyesom Wike. We are working like an elephant and eating like an ant.
“Sir,  you see all these workers, it is only the union that borrows (lends) us money.  They strategize their boys everywhere. As soon as they pay workers, N50,000, or N61,000,  you go back and start paying back the loan with interest.”
“They even lied to our governor that we are 14,000 working in Julius Berger. We are 18,000 workers working in the company. Okay, multiply 18,000 by N1,500. It would give you N27 million every month. This is the amount we are generating monthly for the union.
“We are not against the company, Julius Berger. We need our COVID-19 palliative, we need good water, canteen
They recalled that Governor Wike told them that their monthly take-home would be N150,000, alleging that the union leadership said the governor did not make such statement.
The spokesman recalled:
“The governor, in his word, told us that it is N150,000  every month. But, they (union) denied that. We are telling the governor that the black people, not the white workers in the union, are saying that the governor is lying. We want to know if it’s true.”
They, however, demanded their transport allowance to be monetized like it was done in other states and increased salary.