NLC to Kwara Govt, LGs: Pay your workers

The Chairman, Kwara State Branch of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Yekini Agunbiade, has appealed to the state, Local Governments, agencies and parastatals to ensure prompt payment of workers’ salaries. Agunbiade noted that while the state government owes only May salary, some local governments and government agencies are yet to pay about four months salaries. The Chairman, who made the appeal while speaking with National Pilot in Ilorin, over the weekend, observed that prompt salary payment becomes imperative most especially in the fasting period.

“The government owes the civil servants, May salaries but the Local Government workers are being owned four months and some one month and while the SUBEB workers are being owned one month," Agunbiade, explained. The NLC chair said the labour leaders met the governor over unpaid salaries, but the governor gave two options as to how the salaries would be paid, but the council rejected it. Agunbiade explained: “The Governor called us on this issue of unpaid salaries. The last salary we received was in April during election period. So, the labour leaders agitated that why is it that the government failed to pay salaries after election. ''We asked whether the last salary was paid because of the election. But, when the governor called us, he explained that the government borrowed money to pay April salary. He also explained that when May allocation came, salaries of all workers could not be accommodated. Only pensioners and judicial workers were paid from the allocation as others could not be accommodated. “The governor gave us two options; maybe he should pay other civil servants from this month allocation or whether the remaining money should be spread on all civil servants on whatever percentage it covers. “When we met our members through various unions NLC, TUC and others, on the options given by the governor, we all took resolutions. One of the resolutions was that the council thanks the State Government for prompt payment of our salaries uptill April, 2015, but they now agreed that they didn’t accept the options given by the governor. ''They rather advised the state government to devise means of paying the salaries as being done in the past by ensuring payment of all workers’ salaries. We have submitted our report to the head of service.” He, however, urged the government to ensure payment of outstanding May salary including that of June and as well ensures LGs and agencies owing up to four months salaries, pay accordingly.