Labour tasks FG on hazard allowance for agric workers

Stories by Moses John
Abuja

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba has urged Federal Government to pay  workers in the agiculture sector hazard allowance due to the risk involve in carrying out their duties.
Comrade Wabba who made the appealed during a familiarisation tour to the headquaters of Agriculture and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria (AAEUN) in Gwagwalada, Abuja recently, said this would enhance the workers productivity as well as boosting the nation’s economy.
“I want to assured you that the congress will do a follow up on the issue hazard allowance for Agric workers, in fact government must include Agric workers on the list of those collecting hazard allowance because of the peculiar nature of their  jobs”.

He said it is not proper for the workers to use hazardous farming equipment and chemicals without due compensation.
Comrade Wabba also advice government at all level to partner with AAEUN on its policies, especially the plan diversification of nation economy.
According to him, over time, the federal government had beautiful ideas of how agriculture could boost and feed the nation through programmes like ”operation feed the nation, but failed because workers were not carry alone.
“I urged the federal government to carry along agriculture allies to improve our agriculture sector knowing fully that agriculture is the way forward out of the present economy recession,”.

On the crisis that is rocking the union, Comrade wabba called for peace, stressing that there is the  need for the union to work together and resolved their differences.
Wabba called on members to respect the rule of law and values, adding that his visit to the agriculture union was to see how it could be supported and assisted.
Speaking earlier, Deputy National President South of AAEUN, Comrade Robert Okoroafor said the union was ready to cooperate with FG in area of agriculture as  government was trying to diversify the economy.
Okoroafor said one of their challenges was that their members were long overdue for the payment of hazard allowance.

According to him, the struggle for hazard allowance has been on for more than 15 years before the expiration of the last PDP administration.
He said the union had submitted a proposal to the federal government on the payment of hazard allowance which was put together by three member ministries
The ministries he said included the federal ministry of agriculture and rural development, federal ministry of environment and federal ministry of water resources.

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