Trouble appears to be looming in several states of the federation between civil servants and the state governments due to the inability of the states to pay workers’ salaries.
Civil servants in many states have either just suspended their strike or in some states where they are still working, the labour movement in the states have declared their intention to go on strike.
Recently, while addressing the National Executive Council members of the All Progressives Congress, President Muhammadu Buhari, while lamenting the precarious state of the nation’s economy, said no fewer than 27 states of the federation were finding it difficult to pay workers’ salaries.
Over 20 states last year accessed a bailout package by the Federal Government, most of which were believed to have been used to pay salaries.
Shortly after this relief package, however, there were speculations that the states were planning to apply for another round of bailout, which has been vehemently denied.
In Ekiti State, tension is said to be heightening between the workers and the Governor Ayodele Fayose-led state government due to the four months unpaid workers’ salaries.
Mainstream workers in the state got their last pay in February for November salary.
It was learnt that the government at the meeting proposed to pay the workers the net pay for the December salary, excluding the deductions.
The meeting was called to further persuade the unions to receive the net pay and wait for the deductions till when the state’s income improved.
The deductions are the union dues, remittance of cooperative deductions and repayment of loans. But the organised labour vehemently opposed the proposal.
A source at the meeting said the unions rejected the idea with a demand that workers must be paid their salaries latest by last Friday.
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