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The Kogi State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comr. Onuh Edoka has asked workers and pensioners in the State to trust in God and believe that 2023 will be better than 2022.
Comr. Edoka made the call in a New Year message to Kogi State workers, urged them to keep hope alive, pointing out that it is hope that will keep them alive for a better tomorrow.
The NLC Chairman tasked both the workers and pensioners in the State to continue to hope in God for a better 2023, urged the workers to be aware that as labour leaders they can only agitate for there welfare, explained however that if the welfare is not coming forth, it is because it does not lie in there hands, said it lies squarely in the hands of the Government.
Comr. Edoka mentioned that the responsibility of the Labour Union is to agitate for workers welfare, urged the workers not to blame the labour for not meeting there welfare needs, maintaining that the responsibility to meet workers welfare lies in the hands of the government who take allocation on behalf of the State Government.
” Don’t blame us Labour leaders. We can only agitate for workers welfare. But if the welfare is not coming out as we expect from our agitations, based on the issues we have agitated for the workers, then it is not the problem of Labour”.
The NLC Chairman however said the Union is indeed very grateful to the State Government for the payment of Kogi State Workers Salaries up to December 2022, but urged the Union at the Local Government levels to speak for themselves.
Comr Edoka appreciated the State Government for the projects it has embarked upon in the State for which President Mohammadu Buhari came to commission, said the Union with open heart is indeed very grateful for the projects executed and commissioned.
The NLC Chairman appreciated the efforts of the Auditor General of Local Government and the Commissioner For Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, disclosing that the duo have made frantic efforts to see how they can make things work for the workers at that level, lamented that things are not working they way the Labour thinks.
While lamenting that the Government seems not to be appreciative of the understanding that the Labour is showing, thanked the workers for been supportive to the aspiration of labour leaders in the State.
The NLC Chairman urged the workers to come to terms with the fact that they are in a tight and perilous period when even the labour leaders are not even appreciated by the Government and the understanding they have been showing.
Comr Edoka used the message to wish every worker in the State a fruitful 2023, believing that God will make 2023 better, praised the media and other critical stakeholders for there concern for the labour all this years.