Labour Demands Promotion Arrears, Other Benefits for Workers
Organised Labour in Nasarawa State has appealed to the state government to address the issue of promotions due to civil servants, alongside other outstanding matters affecting workers across the state.
The Chairmen of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, and Joint Negotiation Council made the appeal during a meeting of the Standing Committee on the National Minimum Wage held at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Governor’s Office in Lafia.
The organised labour, through the State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Oko; his TUC counterpart, Isa Nayawo; and Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council, Jonathan Meshi, urged the Nasarawa State Government to consider the implementation of promotions for personnel who are due for advancement.
They also made a case for the implementation of annual salary increments and Leave Transport Grants for workers in the state.
The trio lamented that the annual increment and Leave Transport Grants had not been implemented for the state workforce for several years.
They therefore called on the Chairman of the Committee on the National Minimum Wage and Deputy Governor of the state to prevail on Governor Abdullahi Sule to urgently look into the issues, which they described as matters of public importance.
While commending the labour-friendly disposition of the Deputy Governor and Governor Abdullahi Sule, particularly in the implementation of the National Minimum Wage, payment of previous promotions and interventions to avert industrial action, the labour leaders also appealed for the payment of outstanding minimum wage arrears that have remained unresolved for some time.
Presenting the report of the Technical Sub-committee constituted to determine the financial implications of the salary arrears, the Chairman of the Sub-committee, who is also Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council, Comrade Jonathan Meshi, outlined the financial obligations across the different sectors.
He explained that tertiary institutions were owed 15 months in arrears, while the judiciary, covering all the courts, had five months of arrears each. He added that the mainstream civil service was owed four months in arrears.
According to Meshi, the total outstanding sectoral obligation stood at N13,666,300,158.99.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, affirmed that the government would break down the payments into instalments once Governor Abdullahi Sule approves the implementation.
Dr. Akabe appealed for the understanding and patience of civil servants as the government works to meet the outstanding obligations while also attending to other financial commitments that have a direct impact on the lives of citizens.
