The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Ebonyi, Mr Joseph Nweke, said in Abakaliki on Monday that dialogue remained the most potent weapon in the resolution of labour-government disputes.
Nweke told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that labour in the state would henceforth employ dialogue in resolving disputes arising from struggles for improved welfare for workers.
He said that labour matters were better resolved at the round table rather than the use of confrontation.
According to him, confrontational approach had never yielded any tangible result in resolving conflicts between the government and the labour.
He urged the organised labour to change tactics, saying that the use of dialogue had been found more effective, more pragmatic and more result-oriented.
“We have adopted a new approach of using dialogue always in the pursuit of workers’ rights and privileges.
“Confrontation has never helped our union in actualising our demands from the authority and we have decided to adopt a less hostile approach.
“We hope that this new approach will usher in a new era of more government-labour friendly relationship,’’ Nweke said.
He said that the use of strikes, demonstrations and other confrontational approaches against the authorities had always resulted to frosty government-labour relationship with adverse effect on productivity.
He said the new strategy would make the Ebonyi workers to remain relevant in the scheme of things, promote harmonious working relationship as well as improve productivity.
He described Gov. Martin Elechi of Ebonyi as a listening governor who always bowed to superior arguments.
He said the organised labour in the state would ensure that the rights of workers were not infringed upon by their employers.
“We will ensure that no worker in Ebonyi is unjustly treated at the work place by his or her employer,’’ he said.
He urged the government to revisit the issue of partial implementation of the approved national minimum wage to enhance the economic status of the workers.