National president of National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPROW), Comrade Danjuma Pappa Kunin, has said that non-patronage of government press by ministries, boards and parastatals has rendered the professional printers idle and jobless.

Comrade Kunini stated this at the first quadrennial delegate conference of NUPPPROW, North Central Zone in Lafia recently. He urged state governments to direct their ministries, agencies and local governments to patronize the states-owned printing press and maintain the standard, adding that state governments should raise the standard of printing press by providing modern technology for printing press staff to work with.

The national president further said, it was disheartening that the liaison and focus of printing profession was being threatened by lack of machine and modern equipment and appealed to state governments to equip their printing press.

In his speech, the chairman, Nigeria Laboour Congress, Nasarawa State Council, Comrade Maku Asoloko, said “it is pathetic that there is low patronage of government press and urged the various state governments to properly utilize government printing press”.

Comrade Asoloko also said there was good working relationship between workers and the state government.

Addressing the delegates, a representative of the Head of Service, Nasarawa State, Mr. Thomas Ogiri, said Nasarawa State government has directed that all government parastatals and ministries should patronize government printing press.

Mr. Ogiri who is the state director of labour, said labour union should engage government through dialogue in order to bring out useful suggestions so that meaningful development could be attained.

The director said government and workers should partner to achieve a set goal and appealed to NUPPPROW to embrace capacity training of their members in order to be productive in this challenging time.

In his welcome address, the state chairman, national union of printing, publishing and paper products workers, Alhaji Usaini Musa, said though there was cordial relationship between government and labour, government should provide modern machines and equipment at the government printing press, state House of Assembly and Nasarawa Publishing Company Limited to improve the productivity of their members.

He commended Nasarawa State Government for implementing 15% salary increment for workers in Nasarawa State, but however, said, “we need upward review as demanded by the state NLC chairman in his May Day speech”, and appealed to government to consider hazard and over time allowances for NUPPPROW members.