Benin, Edo, Nigeria – By Oladipo Airenakho .
Aggrieved workers of troubled Edo State government-owned Bendel Brewery located on Benin-Agbor road in Benin City marched to the State house on December 4, 2014, protesting the lack of funding of the facility and continued non-payment of their salary arrears.
According to Alltimepost.com source they were not received by Governor Adams Oshiomhole to whom they intended to deliver their protest letter.
Alltimepost.com however gathered that the commissioner for commerce and industry Hon. McDonald Obasuke was on hand to talk to them and that they lodged their complaints with him for an onward delivery to the governor.
The workers who demanded payment of their salary arrears bemoaned the neglect of the brewery, condemned the lack of funding for the company by government and urged the administration to save their souls.
During the protest which was said to be peaceful, the commissioner, our source hinted, called for calm. He was said to have appealed to them to exercise patience, as according to him their case was not being neglected by the Oshiomhole administration as they would want to believe.
He promised to convene a meeting with the aggrieved workers the following week to update and brief them on the level or extent the government had gone to address issues in question, including the shutdown of the brewery.
Comrade Mike Osabuohien is Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Bendel Brewery. He spoke to Alltimepost.com and explained that they had traveled a long road in their attempt to have government functionaries examine their plights and find solution. He regretted that no one appeared to have paid them any attention
‘’ Time and space will not permit us to start mentioning how we took our case to the House of Assembly, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, the Royal Majesty, and even to some Elder Statesmen.’’
Even the local and national unions were not left out in their attempt to find a way out of the logjam created by previous administration in the state, said Comrade Mike Osabuohien.
Another leader of the Brewery workers’ union, Comrade Jonathan Osemaga, also told Alltimepost.com that the company stopped production as far back as June 2014.
According to him, the aggravation of an already bad situation occurred when the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) decided to cut off power supply in August 2014 to the company due to non-payment of its electricity bills, estimated at over N4 million.
Apart from the continuing depreciation in the assets of the company, Alltimepost.com also gathered that no less than nine workers of the Brewery have died, allegedly from lack of financial sustenance occasioned by non -payment of salaries now alleged to be thirty-six months in arrears.
Besides the placard showing the non -payment of their salary arrears, other placards carried by the disillusioned workers also reflected non-payment of their Workers’ Pension Scheme in arrears of 39 months, non-payment of Leave Transport Grant (LTG) since 2009, amongst others.
A visit to the premise by Alltimepost.com correspondent also confirmed the allegation by the workers that the premises of the Brewery which once produced one of the best bear in the country have become overgrown with weeds, with machineries and raw materials wasting away.
After several attempts to reach the commissioner for commerce and industry, Hon. McDonald Obasuke in person for comment failed, Alltimepost was able to speak to him over the phone yesterday.
He said that an in-house meeting had been held to resolve the issues, but declined to reveal what was discussed at the meeting, apart from saying that it would be disclosed at the appropriate time to the public.
“Yes there was a meeting, an in-house meeting. I cannot disclose what was discussed yet. At the appropriate time it will be made public”. The commissioner however said another meeting had been scheduled for next week.
The govt seems to be handling the issue of BBL with laxity.What is wrong in giving the staff even 6months salaries out of the over 3 years salary arrears as a palliative measure? Sorry to say,there is no staff of over 1000 and their relatives that will cast their vote for any APC candidate.
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