By Laleye Dipo
Hospitals, state secretariat and other state institutions in Niger State have been put under lock and keys as Niger State workers embarked on work-to-rule-action at the beginning of a three-day warning strike yesterday.
Vehicles in the fleet of the state transport authority were also off the roads with workers expected to be on essential services joining the strike.
The warning strike is also coming on the heels of the payment of the slashed July 2020 salaries to the accounts of the workers which was the major reason for the declaration of the trade dispute.
Niger State Government had told Organised Labour it did not have the resources to pay 100 per cent salaries to its workforce opting to pay 70 per cent and 60 per cent to workers in the civil service and those in the local governments effective June.
Organised Labour opposed the government decision and gave the administration a seven-day ultimatum to rescind its decision by paying the full salaries to all the workers. The ultimatum expired at midnight of Thursday resulting in the strike taking off.
The compliance with the NLC /TUC order was total as virtually all government businesses have been paralysed as a result of the strike.
Officials of the various unions affiliated to the NLC were seen by THISDAY monitoring the effect of the strike. They succeeded in turning back senior civil servants who reported for duty at the secretariat and health personnel at the General, and IBB Specialist hospitals.
The NLC Bulletin#2 made available to the press on the issue said “ salary cut is alien to Niger state civil service , Salary cut is an affront to extant laws, Civil servants scheduled to appear before the Niger state salary management committee between Friday 24th – Tuesday 28th July 2020 are directed to boycott the screening” and “ Do not allow yourself to intimidated”.
There has been no reaction to the strike by the government.
