In this edition, Labour Vanguard brings   to your reading pleasure the concluding interview with Comrade Williams Akporeha, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Delta State Council Chairman. The first part was published on September   25. Excerpts:

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The State Executive Council, SEC, meeting of August 7th 2014, resolved that the State Governor should review the appointment of his SA Labour and Industrial Relations among others, is that within your purvey?

We are organized labour and he is supposed to be a go-between with government and us, but events leading to that resolution left us without an option. Now, let me tell you, NLC is not anybody’s surname and no one man can drag that name and its activities to disrepute. In fact,

what happened on August 7th was historical and an affirmation of the unparallel unity that I mentioned earlier. That resolution was unanimous and unambiguous as some of the events that took Congress to that height were highlighted in the resolution.

Having said that, we at NLC  were however very surprised to read a news story credited to the State Chairman of the TUC, Mr. Myke Arinze, describing that resolution as ‘uncalled for and a witch-hunt’ without any recourse to the issues raised by Congress. Really, which aspect of the issues can any right thinking person classify as witch-hunt?

Is it the confiscation of 10 buses donated by the State Government to assist workers’ Mass Transit Scheme in 2012 at the detriment of workers? How can it be said that Congress is witch-hunting a man who now takes undue advantage of his position to want to run the Congress from his office?

So, we are really shocked about the sudden outburst of  Myke Arinze and one is tempted to conclude that he is either an accomplice or he is out rightly insensitive to the plight of workers in the state.

Let me make it categorically clear that even before Congress issued that August 7th resolution, it gave the SA Labour every opportunity to turn away from his anti-Congress conduct but he has remained unyielding.

Indeed, Congress holds Mike Okeme in very high esteem as a former state chairman and therefore explored all internal avenues including seeking the interventions of the State Governor and the National  Secretariat of the NLC in Abuja as well as other state labour veterans to dissuade him but he ignored all entreaties.

Rather, he resorted to grandstanding to undermine Congress leadership to create the impression that after him, congress leadership no longer matters.

It is very important to state here that the August 7th resolution is not in any way, directed at the genuine intentions of the state government that created the Office of SA Labour to the State Governor but suffice to say that Congress remains very grateful to governor Uduaghan for creating the office of Special Adviser on Labour and Industrial Relations. For us in Congress, that office ought to be a bridge to providing soft landing for a robust government and labour

partnership to further the interest of the state workforce and government.

However, congress has observed that the individual occupying the office presently has constituted himself as a barrier thereby making the bridge unsafe for Congress to use.

In other words, if the job description for that office includes erecting unwarranted barriers to stop even correspondences between labour and government, usurp the functions of State Administrative Council of Congress, SAC, and cause avoidable acrimony within labour to bring labour movement to its kneels in Delta State as is being demonstrated by Mike Okeme, then Congress stands by its resolution of August 7th 2014.

 What will you say is the aspiration of the present leadership of Delta State NLC?

The struggle continues. Labour Leadership in the state is entirely dedicated to the sustenance of industrial harmony while struggling to secure desirable welfare and work conditions for the state workforce as well as a satisfactory post service conditions for retirees.

Yes, while Congress will continue to appreciate the state government for successes recorded so far in its partnership with labour, there is indeed a lot of ground to be covered.

But I don’t have any doubt whatsoever that very soon, by the special grace of God and the wisdom of our labour friendly Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel shall become visible for workers and retirees in Delta state.

At the moment, Congress is seeking the attention of government to a number of unresolved issues. In particular, Congress is very worried that government seems to have reneged on its determination to clear the backlog of unpaid pension benefits to retirees through a monthly release of N1.5billion from Internally Generated Revenue. So, as I speak with you, unpaid pensions in the state are pilling while retirees are groaning beneath.

You see, I used the phrase ‘Congress is very worried’ because of the great danger the situation portends not only for retirees but also the state workforce.

Naturally, workers dread looking forward to bleak retirements, so while we struggle to reduce the sufferings of our present retirees, we fear for the state of mind of those who are still in service.

The inherent fear factor being the knowledge of the sufferings ahead and this can demoralize a worker. As we all know, a demoralized worker is directly proportional to diminishing productivity at the expense of the state.  So, I use this opportunity to again appeal to government to give priority to offsetting pensions backlog and secure the future of would-be retirees in the state.

I want to also identify mass unemployment as one the major concerns of Congress in Delta state.