IPPS: DICON workers protest unfair treatment, demand transparent payroll practices

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

As Nigeria joins the world to mark Workers Day, the civilian staff of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), have used the occasion to protest what they termed unfair treatment and transparent payroll practices by the management.
The workers, who trooped out yesterday at the premises of Ordinance Factory Complex, Kakuri, Kaduna with various placards with inscriptions such as: “Pay us our wage award”, “we are tired of management incompetence”, “ the military said we are not special” etc complained about denied access to a critical program that promotes transparency and efficiency in wage distribution as regards the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
According to workers, the exclusion prevents them from receiving the recent wage increases implemented for IPPIS-enrolled employees.
The aggrieved workers during the protest raised concerns about the accuracy of their payroll data outside of IPPIS, said, “ To add insult to injury, the Deputy Director of Human Resources, Mercy Philip, curtly dismissed our inquiries, calling IPPIS a “no-go area” and suggesting they forget about enrollment altogether until she retires.
Speaking further about their concerns, the workers alleged: “Allowances for scarce skills (established in 2008) and transportation (introduced in 2015) were abruptly stopped without explanation, causing frustration and a sense of unfair treatment. This is they described as a reprehensible treatment of a dedicated workforce.”
“ To confirm the maltreatment, the workers alleged that Director of Production Air Commodore, Ola Emmanuel in his address to some staff in the factory justified reasons civil staff have not enjoyed wage awards. Stressing, We have not received a single month of the wage award since it was announced in September 2023.
He also said that rather than questioning our management, we should go and ask the Accountant General and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defense and offices budget office and salary and wages commission to confirm why the nonpayment of the wage rewards.
They explained further,” We are owed eight months of minimum wage arrears dating back to 2019. Additionally, we haven’t received the N35,000 six-month wage award initiated by the federal government in September 2023. With a new minimum wage on the horizon, we are concerned that we may be left behind again.