Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu
The Enugu State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday urged the federal government to set up special courts to prosecute states and local governments that cannot pay salaries of workers due to diversion of allocations accruing to them.
It also demanded for the declaration of a state of emergency on states that owe arrears of salaries for upwards of two to three months.
Chairman of NLC in the state, Comrade Virginus Nwobodo, made the call when workers of Enugu state joined other workers across the country to protest the alleged killings of civil servants in Nasarawa State by trigger-happy policemen.
They insisted that both the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly must work together to ensure that the necessary legal steps were taken to make it illegal for states to owe salaries.
It was observed that the workers in their hundreds took their protest to the major streets of Enugu metropolis, chanting solidarity songs
for their departed colleagues.
Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “Police leave workers Alone”, “No to Police victimization”, “Bring to books those
behind the killing of our members”, “Police, Enough is Enough”, “Workers deserve their wages”, “Release our salaries and wages, why
owe workers”.
Addressing journalists shortly after the rally, Comrade Nwobodo, said the protest was to mourn the demise of their colleagues who were
pressing for payment of their seven months arrears of salaries, stressing that the killing of the civil servants were the height of
impunity and lawless in the country.
