By Donald Iorchir
The leadership of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), FCT chapter, in their first quarterly meeting at its state secretariat in Gwagwalada, has written to the FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello, intimating him of the workers’ plans to sit at home if by February 1, 2016, the three months arrears of their workers’ salaries were not paid in full.
In a statement signed by its state secretary, comrade Terry Henry Isaac, the union said the issue of non-payment of three months workers salaries in the six area councils of the FCT between November, December, 2015 and January 2016 was discussed.
It stated that even the so-called salary payment of June to October 2015 were paid without remittance of deductions from workers salary to appropriate quarters. According to the union, these deductions include: tax, pension, contributions to multipurpose societies, repayment of loans from commercial banks, etc.
The union also stated that while we are concerned about the dwindling allocations to Area Councils, the Executive Chairmen were busy employing workers into the Area Councils and Local Education Authority (LEAs) in their numbers, those chairmen always cried of dwindling allocations, where would they get money to pay the newly employed staff, the union lamented.
The union said, in consideration of the hardships of workers were going through, the state executive council had resolved that the attention of the minister called upon to intervene and ensure that the Area Council workers were paid their three months’ gross payment of salaries without further delay and to avoid trade dispute. The union opined that the minister should allow for table payment of salaries for all staff of the Area Councils and LEAs and institute a centralise payment system for Area Council staff for three consecutive months, as this could help in checkmating the corruption in the system.
In another development, the Abuja electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Kuje Area office, has called on members of the public, stake holders and customers for a sensitisation programme to hold on January 30, 2016.
“This is to create awareness to our esteemed customers on the latest development and trends in the new AEDC (Plc),” he said.
In a statement signed by its area manager, Mrs. Jummai Suleiman, said “this is to discuss issues of capturing of new customers, the tariff review and purchase of meters.”
The statement added that the programmed would also help in building mutually beneficial relationship between customers and our staff in the cause of carrying out our legitimate duties.
“We have a virgin land and we will have to produce people that can set up factories, agro-based cottage industries in order to curb unemployment; that should be their major area of concern,” he said.
