The leadership of labour unions in Kogi state has been commended by civil servants in the state for taking a bold step towards ensuring the rights of civil servants are not brutally tampered with.
A cross section of civil servants interviewed expressed their support for the ongoing industrial action in the state aimed at alleviating the pains and agonies of the workers.
A civil servant, Tahiru Muhammad said that Kogi state indigenes, as a civil service state, do not have other means of income other than their salaries. He said the prompt payment of their salaries is the major driver of the state economy.
“The issue of the strike action is becoming a norm, tertiary institutions shut the state and school down, now it is the NLC. Their demands are genuine, the state accessed bailout, Paris club refunds, so many funds are coming in and we don’t how the governor is using it.
“The governor claimed to have ended the screening but he is owing some workers over 20 months and he said they should not go to strike. Some workers have resorted to begging to survive.
“The hunger in Kogi is at its peak. There is no how Kogi can recover from this shock of hunger. Most civil servants have been turned to civil beggars. People have adopted an abnormal way of feeding,” he said.
Another civil servant, Malik Babangida said the workers gave taken the right step by obeying the directive for strike action adding that it is terrible to work without payment.
“If you ask me, out of 100%, 2% of the populace are not hungry and who are they; the governor and his cabinet.
“There is hunger in the land. Look around you will see that civil servants have been turned to beggars. Family men cannot pay school fees,” he said.
They advised the government to commence immediate payment of all their outstanding salaries and arrears so that the state can move forward.
Meanwhile, the state NLC chairman, Comrade Onuh Edoka and his counterpart in the Trade Union Congress, Ranti Ojo accused the state government of been economical with the truth by dwelling on two items.
“Ordinaryly the issue is on salaries arrears. Those workers cleared and brought back into the payroll have not been given their arrears and salaries”.
They advised government not to dispense too much energy on the clock in clock out policy adding that the implementation is an avenue to exploit workers.
They revealed that government and labour at no time agreed on the contributory pension scheme stating that government should pay workers their entitlements before embarking on the scheme.
