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NLC to down tools in Edo over unpaid LG workers salary arrears

Nigeria Labour Congress
Nigeria Labour Congress

AKHERE Godwin, Benin

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Tuesday, threatened to down tools in Edo State within two weeks, if the state government and local government councils failed to pay the outstanding salaries owed local government workers in the state.

The State Chapter of the union gave the ultimatum when thousands of aggrieved LG employees marched to the union’s state secretariat along James Watts Street, off Mission Road in the Benin, the state capital.

GP learnt that the aggrieved employees have been on a month-long protest over the non-payment of ‎their salaries by 14 out of the 18 councils in the state.

The union had in several protests lamented that many of the workers were owned between one to eight months.

 

While addressing the protesters, ‎the State Chairman of the NLC, Emmanuel Ademokun, explained that the labour union would join NULGE in a sympathy strike that may affect government activities in the state.

“It (strike) is going to be categorised. Those being owed will go on an indefinite action while the other workers will go on a sympathy strike. But that will be when the chairmen of the 18 NULGE unions confirm it next week. Our national body is also in support of it.

He described as unacceptable the excuse that the inability of the defaulting councils to pay was due to dwindling allocations as, according to him, some of the councils became indebted since 2014.

He, however, noted that although the issue was not about the Edo State Government but the‎ council chairmen and secretaries, the state government needed to provide a bail out for the council at the party level.

“The state government will need to bail them out because they are all of the same political party. Revenue allocations fell last‎ within two or three months but some councils started owing since last year. If a chairman cannot pay salaries for nine months, that chairman should be removed,” Ademokun added.

At the Assembly complex, the Speaker of the House, Victor Edoror, assured ‎the workers that the House would invite the council chairmen to explain why they had failed to fulfil their financial obligations.

On the aggrieved employees’ next line of action, the State President of NULGE, Edward Young, said: “We are going to evaluate‎ the position we have taken so far on the protest and take an appropriate decision. We believe that every worker deserves his pay.”

 

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