Immediate past Secretary to Delta State Government, (SSG), Ovuozourie Macaulay has lamented what he called high level of decadence in the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), as well as its fictionalisation for personal interest of certain leaders, describing the situation as “very unfortunate situation in today’s labour. We have never had it so bad. There is a high level of decadence.”
Speaking on Thursday during a live programme, Straight Talk on Bridge 89.7 FM radio, Asaba, monitored by our correspondent, the former Delta state NLC boss, asserted that the payment of workers salaries is non negotiable which must be on a top priority of every state governments and challenged labour to speak out when civil servants are relegated in government’s scale of preference.
Macaulay, whose records of achievements still remain unbroken in the state, noted that “My achievements in the labour were for the workers. They are still there. I never agitated for anything personal” even as he
called for the need for a first line charge salaries deduction model for state governments.
The veteran labour leader and conflict resolution commissioner during former governor James Ibori’s administration, made it clear that “Salary is non negotiable. While I advocate that salaries should be on a first line charge I must also sue that government staff should be given equal treatment as regards salary payment. Political appointees and civil servants are both workers and should get equal treatment. Any Democratically elected governor should have that at the back of his mind.”
Macaulay however added his voice to the school of thoughts in some quarters agitating for the participation of civil servants in politics, “Workers and unionist should get actively involved in politics. No body can understand the plight of workers better than an insider. A government without a labour background, might not really understand the position of labour. Hence I call on workers to get involved.”
According to the well respected former labour leader and astute politician, as a member of a five man committee whose findings to South Africa, for study of the labour party relations, gave birth to the formation of Labour Party (LP), “Of course, the Labour Party was able to get its prints on Nigeria political sands.”, he opined.
