The leadership of organized labour in Kogi state on Tuesday told the state governor, Yahaya Bello that workers on strike are genuine workers.
The Kogi state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Onuh Edoka, in a chat with newsmen in Lokoja, said the word political civil servants has not been captured in the new civil service rules.
Onuh debunked assertions by the governor that the people on strike are political civil servants.
“I won’t know if political civil servants have now been captured in the new civil service rules of employment.
“The people who are on strike are genuine, legitimate workers of Kogi state and not political civil servants. The word is very dangerous to be used against the workers because it can backfire.
The NLC boss also urged the state government to do the needful by clearing the backlog of owned salaries insisting that labour will not be bullied
“I was surprised when I got to hear that His Excellency, the Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello said he’s owning only two months.
“I want to believe that as Governor of the state, who is in charge of payment, he knows in his heart that he’s owing Kogi workers far above two months.
“The categories of workers that are being owed above two months are nothing less than 40% of the work force if put together. He’s owing nothing less than 45% of the pensioners in the state,” he said.
