NLC protests planned sacking, rejects salaries

The Nigeria Labour Congress, Kogi State chapter, has directed civil servants in the state to reject their December salaries to protect the jobs of over 6,000 workers slated for sack by the government.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the NLC gave the directive on Sunday in Lokoja, in a communique issued at the end of the meeting of its executive committee.

The communiqué was signed by Mr. James Odaodu, chairman, and Mr. John Kolawole, secretary, respectively.

It stated that the leadership of the NLC was piqued by the arbitrary removal of the names of over 6,000 workers from the December payroll.

It added that the only way to protect the interest of the affected workers was for the entire workforce to reject this month’s salaries.

The congress accused the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning and the Accountant-General of ‘hijacking’ the job of the committee constituted by the state government to implement the report of the recent screening of the state workforce.

It urged the officials to “hands-off to ensure a thorough implementation of the report of the exercise.”

While appreciating the government for involving labour in the efforts to sanitise the state civil service, the NLC frowned on what it called “selective” implementation of the report of the screening.

“We condemn the plan by the government to implement part of the report. We have other issues in the report, such as cash backing of promotion and annual increment, among others,” the communiqué said.

It warned that failure by the government to “do the necessary things” could jeopardise the existing peaceful industrial atmosphere in the state.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has promised workers in the state of prompt payment of their salaries.

Amaechi, who spoke with labour union executives at the inauguration of a secretariat complex constructed by the state chapter of the Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria at Rumuagholu, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, on Saturday, also pledged to pay workers their December salaries without delay.

The governor explained that such a step would be taken in order to allow workers go home and celebrate Christmas, adding that his administration had been labour-friendly.

He expressed sadness that federal allocations to states had depleted to the point that state governments had been struggling to pay workers, disclosing that a large chunk of state funds had gone into the payment of civil servants’ salaries and arrears.

Amaechi pointed out that despite the difficulties faced by his administration as a result of the current fund shortage, the state government had managed to ensure judicious expenditure on meaningful projects to meet the needs of the people.

He expressed the need for the rotation of the governorship position among the various ethnic groups in the state to ensure justice and fairplay.

The governor also emphasised his preparedness to steer the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign to success in the 2015 elections, following his appointment as the Director General of the party’s presidential campaign.

Amaechi said, “The political equation is no longer the same as it was in 2011. In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan was our brother. We gave him our votes because he was our brother.

“Today, is he still our brother? My brother is the man who cares if I feed. Our President has lived all his life in Rivers State; let him show us one project he has done in Rivers State.”

He described the Jonathan administration as corrupt and inefficient, even as he accused the PDP-led administration of failing to implement the UNEP report for the clean-up of Ogoniland.

The governor observed that the Federal Government infrastructure in Rivers States, like the Eleme Petrochemicals were built by non South-South leaders.

Earlier, the Chairperson of Health Workers Union in the state, Beatrice Itubo, had expressed gratitude to Amaechi for inaugurating the secretariat complex.

Itubo explained that Amaechi’s leadership drive had pushed her to conceive ideas to construct the modern state secretariat for medical and health workers in the state.