The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has declared a 3-day warning strike, with effect from Monday, to press home its demand that money should not be deducted at JAAC to the Primary Health Care Management Board for the payment of health care workers’ salaries.
NULGE has also threatened to embark on a full-blown strike from Monday, October 27, if its demand is not met at the expiration of the warning strike.
Addressing a Press Conference on the decision reached at the end of its State Executive Council meeting, Monday evening in Port Harcourt, State President of the Union, Barr. Franklin Ajinwo said, “As a responsible trade union, with strong interest in the administration of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, we cannot stand by and watch the Local Government System drift again into the era of debts and non-payment of salaries better known as zero-allocation.
“To this end, the State Executive Council of the Union during its meeting today, 13th October, 2014 at the NULGE Consultate, resolved, to resist, by all lawful means, attempts to destroy the Local Government System in the state by a few individuals using the Trade Unions as a platform”.
The union also resolved “to call on His Excellency.(Governor Amaechi) to reverse and rescind, within seven (7) days all decisions and directives to the effect that money be deducted at JAAC to the Primary Health Care management Board for the payment of salaries”.
NULGE also resolved, “to call out all local government workers in the State on a three-day warning strike from Monday, 20th – Wednesday, 22nd October, 2014 ie at the expiration of the ultimatum above to press home our demands”, and also “embark on an indefinite strike from Monday, 27th October, 2014 until the decision is reversed.
Our Correspondent reports that the stage for NULGE’s warning strike was set last Wednesday, following the decision that the salaries of health workers in the 23 local government areas of the state should be deducted at source by the Primary health Workers’ Board, with effect from this month end.
The decision to deduct the Health Workers’ salaries was taken last Wednesday at a meeting in Port Harcourt involving the 23 Local Government Councils’ Care-taker Committee Chairmen, Local Government Service Commission, Nigeria labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), health Workers’ Board and other stakeholders in Local Government administration in the state.
The interactive meeting which also had in attendance the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, however, recorded the absence of NULGE – the Umbrella body of Local Government workers in the country which was attributed to non-communication of last minute information on the meeting by the Local Government Service Commission.
The decision at the meeting was made public by the Care-taker Chairman of Eleme Local Government, Prince Awalanta Ejire, and confirmed variously by his counterparts in Okrika, Hon. Amangi Sunday; Ogu/Bolo, Hon. Mina Tende Andoni, Deacon Emmanuel Ikwut; and Khana, Hon. Gordon Tornwe during a tour of the councils by the State Working Committee of NULGE, led by its President, Sir Barr. Franklin Ajinwon on Thursday and Friday , last week.
The Chairmen of Ogu/Bolo, Okrika and Khana LGAs were, however, emphatic that the governor was not supportive of the position canvassed by some of these at the meeting, as he queried the rationale behind it since there was no problem with payment of salaries at the councils, and workers have been paid upto-date, but majority of the stakeholders insisted that it was in the best interest of the system, prompting the governor to give approval that the Health Workers’ salaries should be deducted at source by the Board, with effect from this month.
Responding to the decision, Barr. Ajinwon said he was aware of moves by some people to deduct local government allocations at source for selfish reasons, saying that such persons were not comfortable with the policy of the state government that allows councils to pay staff salaries without deductions at source since the inception of the administration.
He stressed that the union will resist the decision to deduct the health workers’ salaries at souce, as it will cripple the entire local government system in the state, if allowed to be implemented.
“We want to tell you, Mr. Chairman that as a Union, we have sworn to an oath to protect the local government system. So we will not fold our hands and watch the local government being taken back to the era of ‘zero allocation’ where councils could not pay salaries, upto even 15 months because teachers’ salaries were deducted at source. We want to tell you that as a union, we will resist it”, Ajinwon told the Council Chairman.

Justus Unye-Awaji