Labour Assures Workers Of Arrears’ Payment

The organised labour in Rives  state, has assured workers in the  public service of the state of the government’s commitment to commence payment of the arrears of 70% salary relativity installmentally from this month, November.

The Chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Comrade  Emecheta Chuku stated this while speaking to The Tide following the suspension of the planned industrial action by the organised labour against the state government as a result of its failure to implement the 70% salary relativity and minimum wage arrears.

The organised labour wants the government to stop illegal deductions of salaries of public servants and also to stop the Federal Mortgage Bank deductions.

Comrade Emecheta said the government representatives having the mandate of the state government represented by Barrister Samuel LongJohn as Head of Service, Sir Ngozi Abu, the Accountant-General and Lambert Ekwueme, Permanent Secretary (Service Welfare) had endorsed the commencement of the arrears payment from November.

He said the arrears payment was to be done within three installment salary payments, stressing that public servants were going to smile following the gesture of the state government.

Comrade Emecheta appealed to the state government to always dialogue and consult on issues relating to the welfare of the public servants with the relevant industrial unions before implementation.

The labour leader expressed appreciation to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) for their prompt intervention to avert the industrial action by  public servants in the state.

Meanwhile, investigation by The Tide revealed that the state government is not owing any arrears of the minimum wage to any worker who earned above the N18,000 minimum wage before the effective date of the implementation of the new minimum wage.

Investigation revealed that from the agreement dated 19th July, 2011 signed between the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) represented by the Governor and the organised labour represented by Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, President NLC and Comrade Peter Esele, President TUC stated in paragraph 4 that “the 36 states agree that the effective date for the implementation of the new minimum wage shall not be later than 1st August, 2011 provided that any worker who earned less than the N18,000 between 1st April and the effective date of the implementation of new minimum wage shall be paid arrears of the difference.

Paragraph 5 further stated that “the time frame for the ‘payment of the arrears of the difference of the new minimum wage effective April 1, 2011 shall not be later than October 2011”.

However, following this agreement, the state government on 15th August 2011 constituted a committee headed by the Secretary to the State Government to among others find out how many civil servants were earning below N18,000 and the current salary paid to workers.

The investigation further revealed that the committee report was submitted and agreement reached on 17th October, 2011 under paragraph (iii) that the arrears from (April to September 2011) should be paid installmentally over a few months but not to exceed six months with effect from October 2011″.

Furthermore, Comrade Emecheta said it was in the light of this obvious breached agreement by the state government that necessitated the the threat by the organised labour to embark on strike.

He called on the state government to always abide by the content of agreement reached with the organised labour over workers welfare.