Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Cross River Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress has demanded N30, 000 as palliatives to all residents in the state to cushion the effects of the pandemic.
The labour leaders also called on the Cross River State government to partner with labour in the battle against COVID- 19.
The State Chairman of the Union Comrade Ben Ukpebi made the call in Calabar in an address he presented
Speaking during the truncated 2020 May Day celebration occasioned by COVID-19 which had its theme “Stop the Pandemic at Work”, the State chairman, Comrade Ben Ukpebi, further called on government to provide Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, to all front line workers in the health sector as no worker in the state is prepared to sacrifice his life in the course of saving another.
Represented by the vice chairman, Comrade Lawrence Achuta, Ukpepi said: “It has become critical for the state government to get its social partners including labour in its efforts to combat the surge.
“Again, it is high time that citizens should be given palliative to cushion the effect of staying at home by paying N30, 000 per person as such would go a long way.
“Health workers are in the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic and we see the implementation of new hazard allowance serves as an inducement to medical and health workers for effective discharge of their duties.
“Health workers should be provided with Personal Protective Equipment to protect them in the course of discharging their duties as nobody is ready to loose his life in the course of saving another”, the Labour leader said.
He maintained that labour is against any form of reduction of workers salaries in the course of combating the Covid 19 pandemic, insisting that in line with the directive of its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, labour will resist this and no council will agree to any deduction.
He further demanded that Cross River State government look into implementation of promotions, payment of weigh-in allowance, reinstatement of workers in the payroll, payment of gratuities and payrolling of workers who were employed since 2018.