From Bayo Oyewale, Lokoja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kogi State chapter have threatened to resume the suspended strike action following the inability of the state government to meet their demands.
The Organised Labour also directed workers in the state to embark on the industrial action from Friday, September 22, when a seven-day strike notice to government would lapse.
In a statement signed yesterday by the Chairman, NLC, Comrade Onu Edoka and his TUC counterpart, Ranti Ojo, they stated that the strike would commence owing to government’s failure to pay salaries and other entitlements of workers.
The Labour noted that the strike notice was sequel to the expiration of the time lag given to government within which to pay the July 2017 salary and to reverse some of the newly introduced rules that were not in tandem with the civil service rules.
The workers had earlier demanded among other things, “That government should as a matter of urgency, rescind its decision on clocking in and out policy in the public service of Kogi State, which aims at casualising the service to daily pay basis. This negates the provisions of National Councils on Establishment’s principles and practices guiding the civil service in the country.
“In addition, workers of Kogi State are not miners or workers of close shop companies like Dangote, Nasco Groups of Companies, whose workers clock in and out. We find it extremely difficult to comprehend the issue, because government that could not fulfill its obligations to workers is out on a witch-hunting mission of monitoring and compelling workers with a draconian policy of clock in and out.
“That government should as a matter of urgency rescinds its punitive policy of contributory pension scheme, as it will be difficult for government to pay its counterpart funding because salaries are not being paid regularly”.
The Labour urged government to implement the collective agreement entered into with them on August 1, 2016 without any further delay, adding that government should pay the arrears of salaries to all pardoned workers in the state, local government, primary school teachers and local government education authority staff from January 2016 to August 2017.
