Kogi NLC Gives Gov Seven Days Ultimatum over Outstanding Salaries

Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja

The organised labour in Kogi State wednesday gave the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, a seven-day ultimatum to pay the July salary in full on or before September 12, 2107, in order to further sustain the industrial peace and harmony in the state.
The state governor had paid 50 per cent salary to state workers and 40 per cent to local government workers across the state which the labour faulted.

The workers, after a meeting presided over by the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Onuh Edoka, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Ranti Ojo, restated their resolve to reject the half salary policy of the state government.

The labour unions faulted the claim of the government that its wage bill was N3.1 billion as presented during its meeting with the leadership of the workers.

According to the organised labour, which also includes the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, the state government later brought down the figure to N2.6 billion after the issue was raised with it.

The statement noted that “if the N2.6 billion being quoted now by the state government as July 2017 wage bill is sacrosanct, and if the monthly allocation that accrued to the state from the federation account without the IGR shared in the month of August 2017 stands at N2.6 billion as presented to the organised labour, we wish to ask: why the percentage of salary?
“We wish to assure all workers that the organised labour still maintains its stance on ‘no percentage/half salary as proposed by government’.”

The workers therefore noted that the current system payment of 50 per cent to state workers and 40 to local government workers and teachers was seen as Sallah gift from the government. “In view of this, we therefore urge government to pay July salary in full on or before September 12, 2107, in order to further sustain the industrial peace and harmony in the state,” it stated.

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