By A’isha Biola Raji
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had saluted Nigerian workers on their courage, resilience, sacrifice and patriotism in the face of daunting challenges in the preceding year.
In the New Year Message signed by the President of the Congress, Comrade Abdulwahed Ibrahim Omar, he noted with burdened heart, several strike actions across the sectors, especially in health and education largely because of the refusal or inability of government to honour agreements it voluntarily entered into with the unions.
Omar also indicated that some state governments and MDAs have not paid workers’ salaries. “Collated reports from our state councils indicate that a number of state governments and some federal MDAs have not paid their workers for December as the year comes to an end. Of the 30 states reporting as of the 30th of December, 11 subjected their workers to a Christmas/New Year celebration without the December salary”, he pointed.
He listed some of the states to include Benue, Plateau and Osun with workers’ arrears of salaries ranging from 3 to 8 months. “Some federal government employees in the Ministries of Education, Labour and Productivity, among others, are owed arrears of salaries ranging from 1-3 months”, he said.
The congress however condemned the insensitivity to the welfare of workers and increase in electricity tariffs.
The NLC called on workers to massively reject these anti-worker politicians in the 2015 elections. Even as it directed State Councils in affected states to serve appropriate ultimatums on their government to pay the arrears of salaries or face disruption of services.
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