Labour chides Delta lawmakers over alleged lockout
From Sunny Ogefere, Asaba
FOR allegedly being locked out from the premises of the House of Assembly during its rally to protest the Labour bill, the Delta State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has chided the state lawmakers for the action.
The workers, led by the state NLC's chairman, Mr. Mike Okeme had marched to the House of Assembly to protest the Labour reform bill to the state legislature but they were locked out of the premises by policemen stationed at the gate.
After waiting for about 40 minutes without any official of the House coming to address them, the workers left in anger chanting anti-lawmakers songs.
Okeme decried the attitude of the state legislators, saying their actions had proved that they were not representatives of the people.
"The Delta State House of Assembly has demonstrated today that they are not representatives of the workers and masses of this state," he stated.
"As a result, we, the workers of this state have resolved to do nothing with the state legislators and hereby pass a vote of no confidence on the entire members of the House", he added.
The placard-carrying workers, drawn from the affiliate unions of the NLC in the state, later marched to the Government House, Asaba, where they were received by the Deputy Governor, Benjamin Elue, and some members of the state executive council.
At the government house, the NLC chairman said they were there to protest the Labour bill currently before the National Assembly and to send an SOS message to the state representatives in the upper and lower Houses to shun the bill.
According to him, the proposed bill is selfish as it seeks to pave way for the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, to arbitrary increase fuel prices without opposition.
He urged the federal legislators to think of the masses and not their pockets in considering the bill.
He added, "we mean well for the government, the government should mean well for us".
Elue commended the workers for their peaceful disposition and enjoined them to continue to be peaceful and law- abiding.
He promised to pass on their SOS message to the appropriate authorities.
