BE READY FOR STRIKE ACTION IF............ NLC THREATENS

NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS

The failure of many state governors to meet up their statutory obligations of payment of salaries for their workforce is presently brewing up another storm with the nation’s organized Labour Unions under the auspices of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

The failure of many state governors to meet up their statutory obligations of payment of salaries for their workforce is presently brewing up another storm with the nation’s organized Labour Unions under the auspices of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

Available reports shows that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC is poised to confront the Federal Government following diversions of bailout Funds released to the state governors to properly utilize funds meant for payment of workers’ salaries but instead, diverted to other purposes, leaving workers going unpaid for several months.

Following this development, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has threatened to embark on strike if the governors in various states divert the Budget Support Funds recently released by the Central Bank of Nigeria as approved by the All Progressive Congress-Federal Government.

The bailout as approved by President Buhari and released to states last year was not judiciously used for the purposes it was approved, by the state governors as many of them refused to pay workers salaries from the bailout and such sums allegedly diverted to other sectors in clear disregard to extant laws guiding such offences..

It can be recalled that, as at June 30^th 2016, as much as 27 states in Nigeria owe their workers’, salaries running to seven months in arrears.

Speaking with NAIJNEWSALERT.COM, some of the leaders in the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, have threatened to embark on a strike if the money recently released by the Federal Government was not used for the true purposes it was meant for; to pay the outstanding workers salaries.

Reports from some of the states across the country reveals that, the state Chairman of Imo chapter of NULGE, Ambrose Onuoha, disclosed that his colleagues are experiencing intense hardship as many of them could not afford to provide for their families and other obligatory responsibilities.

The NULGE state chapter chairman confirmed that many workers had died, but failed to disclose the exact numbers following the payment of their salaries.

Speaking on the issue of unpaid salaries to the media, Austin Chilakpu, chairman of the state chapter of the NLC noted, “Our stand now is that workers should be paid 100 per cent of their salary as at when due. The organized labour in the state is planning a showdown with the state government if it tries in any way to divert the fund, like it happened before”.

Another of the states where workers have been experiencing the same issue of unpaid salaries is Nasarawa state, where its NLC chairman, Abdullahi Adeka, disclosed that; “We are not concerned about whether the state government would execute any capital project or not. What we are asking the state government for is to pay us our salaries. We are demanding our annual increments and our promotions”

Workers in the state are at loggerheads presently in the state where the state governor, Almakura has vowed to go ahead with his intentions to slash workers salaries. This is coming on the heels of the shooting by security personnel stationed at the State Government House, to death one of the Union members and two critically injured, where members of the NLC were in a meeting with the governor.  

Neighbouring Benue state is not left out too. The state Chairman of the NLC, Godwin Anya, has advised the state government to use the Budget Support Funds for the payment of the six months’ salaries it owed civil servants.

Noting that, that only one month out of outstanding the six months salaries has been paid, the state chairman issued a warning that the workers would not hesitate to protest if the outstanding was not paid.

According to Anya, workers in the state have waited patiently for six months and would not hesitate to express their dissatisfaction in a civilized manner if any attempt is made to deny them what is due them.

Many Labour leaders across the country have expressed that they will not hesitate to embark on strike action to press home their demands if the present Bail Out Funds released to their respective state governors are not used to pay the outstanding workers salaries.