Traders in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa capital, have urged the three tiers of government to listen to workers’ demand over the new Minimum Wage for the betterment of the nation’s economy.
A cross section of the traders, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, said that workers’ demand was genuine, considering the cost of living including house rent and commodities.
Mrs Grace Chiedozie, who manages a provision shop at Swali Market, said that most of her customers were salary earners, saying that increasing the minimum wage was necessary for the interest of the masses.
“The workers demand is genuine and you know, when the workers smile, we too will smile as well; the government should listen to them because life is no longer the same as it was in 2011,” she said.
On the ongoing nationwide strike, a NAN Correspondent, who moved around the capital city reported that some public and private institutions were under lock.
Mr Vincent Ogun, a Retired teacher and trader, urged the government to improve the welfare of workers.
“The government should pay attention to their (workers) demand,” Ogun said.
Mr Tari Dounana, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the state said that the strike monitoring team have been working round the clock to ensure compliance.
“What we need from government is just an improvement on workers’ package, that is all,” the Chairman said
