By Jude Michael
Anambra workers have expressed anger over the absence of the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, at the worker’s day rally.
Soludo was represented at Alex Ekwueme Square by Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, the state Deputy Governor.
The workers said Soludo stayed away from the function because he was afraid of addressing the long list of needs presented by the NLC and TUC. They insisted he was not a worker friendly governor.
The workers who initially refused to file out for the usual march past which has become synonymous with the rally, said Soludo’s absence was deliberate.
They repeatedly shouted “No” to appeals for them to file out for the march past, insisting that Soludo had never attended workers’ functions since he became governor. They eventually grudgingly undertook the march past.
The Deputy Governor who later addressed the protesting workers after several efforts to calm their nerves, assured the workers that their grievances would soon be addressed.
He said: ‘Governor Soludo as a worker-friendly governor is aware of your plights. You will definitely hear from him soon.’
Earlier, workers in the state had presented a long list of demands, calling on Governor Soludo to suspend the deduction of the contributory pension from their salaries to ensure industrial harmony in the state.
The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Humphrey Nwafor, expressed worry over what he called improper introduction and implementation of the contributory pension scheme.
He said, ‘From the beginning of the scheme, monies deducted were rarely remitted to the Pension Fund Administrators (PFA).
‘Before the present administration came on board the state was deducting only the workers’ part of the contribution, even without remitting same to the various PFA’s and refused to pay the government’s part.
‘The organized labour is dissatisfied with the continued deduction even after the reoccurring May Day prayers by organized labour requesting for the suspension of the scheme.
‘We call on the Governor, who we believe, is not only worker friendly but hates injustice with passion, as a matter of urgency, to suspend the deduction of the contributory pension from the workers’ salaries so as to ensure industrial harmony in the state.’
