By Sadiq Abubakar, Abuja.

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has called on River state governor, Nyemso Wike, to respect the labour laws and the agreement he signed with the organized labour and implement the resolution in the tripatrite committee report so as to restore industrial peace in River state.

Comrade Wabba, while speaking newsmen in Abuja, on Saturday, said despite a tripatrite committee set-up to resolve the issue of non implementation of eligible civil servants for promotion since 2012 and non-payment of salaries arrears of civil servants for February and March, 2016 due to the aborted biometric verification.

He said it is regrettable that nearly two years after reaching a collective agreement with the River state workers and pensioners, the state government has reneged on also paying pension arrears and death benefits to retirees in River state, a situation he said has exposed the pensioners to unimaginable pains and trauma.

According to him, the state government has also failed to implement annual salary increment for the state workers and non harmonization of pension for the state retirees.

The NLC president said the union was amiss at the continuous failure of the state government to pay terminal benefits of the retirees for seven years despite viability of the state, which he said is at par with Lagos state as Nigeria most financially solvent states.

He noted that the gale of donations to different causes by the state government has escaped the attention of hungry workers and pensioners in River state that watch a their state adorns the robe of ‘father Christmas’ to other state while their salaries and pension are withheld.

“And it was on this premise that we appeal to the milk of your human kindness and your vows as a revered life bencher to respect our labour laws and the agreement you signed with the organized labour and implement the resolution in the tripatrite committee report so as to restore industrial peace in River state,” he said.