NLC plans protests against salaries-owing govs

Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said it would soon be holding “name and shame” rallies against governors in the states where workers were being owed salaries and pensions for several months.

The rally would be taken to the affected states in the country, the NLC said.

The union had in a communiqué issued in August after a meeting of its Central Working Committee (CWC) in Abuja, described the situation with government workers in several states as “shameful,” despite the release of the bailout cash and the Paris Club refunds to states by the federal government.

It identified states like Kogi, Benue, and Bayelsa as specific examples of those that owed their workers between five to 10 months salaries and pension arrears.

“There are other cases like Kaduna and Zamfara states that have refused to disclose any information about how it had utilised the bailout and Paris Club refunds, despite demands from the unions and (the) general public,” the NLC stated in the communiqué signed by its President, Ayuba Wabba, and the Secretary-General, Peter Ozo-Eson.

The union said it was also planning to write President Muhammadu Buhari to ask that the governors be made to account for the bailout funds they received, as well as ask the president to stop further releases, “till the governors give a concrete commitment to use it to pay the backlog of salaries through a transparent process.”

The NLC also commented on the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

It blamed the federal government for the industrial action, accusing it of failing to implement the 2009 agreement it had with the union.

“Collective agreements are sacrosanct and must be respected by the parties involved,” it stated.

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