Kogi State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Onu Edoka has declared that the organised labour will no longer entertain any justification for salary reduction, especially at the local government and primary school levels.
Edoka made this known while addressing newsmen in Lokoja on Friday during the May Day celebration.
The labour leader called on Governor Yahaya Bello to consider the payment of their 30% balance of their August to December 2017 salaries and other salary arrears, annual increments, promotion cash-backing and leave bonuses, all of which were last implemented about eight years ago.
He also called for the immediate implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage approved for all workers since April last year by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“On behalf of the entire Kogi State Civil Service, I hereby express our sincere and heart-felt appreciation to our amiable Governor for setting up the minimum wage committee. However, the duration allotted to the committee has since elapsed. We therefore use this medium to call on the Dr. (Mrs.) Folashade Arike Ayoade led 17-man committee to expedite action on its assignment.
“However, we have a challenge in our hands over April 2020 salary which we are currently dialoguing, and we do hope that workers will not be short-changed in any form. We pray for fair deal from the State Government.
“Issues emanating from the screening exercise still persist. There are still several Civil Servants whose careers have been truncated as a result of this exercise. I am not talking of those whose actions or inactions have been proved to be inimical to the growth of the State, such which must be duly punished, but those with genuine cases, especially at the local government and primary school levels, whose only means of livelihood had been denied as a result of minor infractions,” he said.
Edoka appealed to Governor Bello to lift the embargo on Trade Unions activities in tertiary institutions that have lasted for almost four years. He stated that the embargo has hindered robust industrial relations practices in the state-owned higher institutions.
