Business
Vulcanisers Decry Ministry’s Move On Members Registration
Members of the Vulcaniz
ers Association, Rivers State chapter, have decried the recent move by the state Ministry of Commerce and Industry, asking its members to register their business outfits separately rather than under an umbrella body.
The president of the chapter, Mr. Biratuse Highness, made the assertion in a chat with The Tide in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Highness, who spoke through the secretary, Emmanuel Ikanem, said the move could be regarded as double registration since the body had been officially registered with the ministry since its establishment in 1976.
According to him, as tax paying and law abiding citizens, the body is facing challenges from the state Sanitation Authority and the Port Harcourt City Council, pointing out that the incessant harassment is affecting their operations. He said that after the payment of sanitation fee and operational permit, they were being asked to pay for waste basket which has nothing to do with their business.
He said their greatest challenge had been where to dispose off their worn-out tyres, but that the sanitation vehicles had profer solutions to that problem, and thanked them for their efforts towards keeping Port Harcourt and the state clean.
The Association’s president also condemn the threat to impound their operational tools, stressing that as a registered union covered all members individually and collectively, appealing for a conducive atmosphere for his members to carry out their business in the state without let or hindrance.
Highness hinted that the association is aimed at protecting its members against any external or illegal taskforces from embarrassing them, or imposition of illegal levies, care for members welfare as well as project the image of the body.
He, however, decried the activities of some vulcanisers operating along Anozie and Ikoku streets in Diobu, for not complying with the directive and objective of the association, adding that some had refused to register, claiming that their machines and tools were owned by military personnel or government officials.
The president also appealed to the Rivers State Government and other relevant authorities to provide his members with gauges, and shelter as they are exposed to rain and sun which is harmful to their health, and pledged loyalty as regular tax payers to continue to abide by the laws of the land.