..gives govt 3-week ultimatum
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the state government fails to pay outstanding gratuities, the 18,000 minimum wage and review pension payments to its workers.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after an emergency meeting held by the two unions at the NLC headquarters in Gusau, the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Bashir Mohammed Mafara, lamented the alleged refusal of the  government to judiciously utilise the Paris Club Funds to settle the backlog of gratuities owed retired workers in the state.
Mafara decried the alleged non-compliance of the state governor with the law stipulating the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage, stressing the need to review the current payment of N4,000 as pension to retired workers since 1998.
Mafara decried the alleged non-compliance of the state governor with the law stipulating the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage, stressing the need to review the current payment of N4,000 as pension to retired workers since 1998.
This he said negated the law stipulating that pension should be reviewed after every five years.
“For good two years now, we have been pursuing the three boiling issues amicably on how best solutions could be achieved but, the state government remains uninterested and eventually not willing to pay required attention”, the NLC chairman said.
He said workers in Zamfara had been unlucky to have found themselves on the list of states in the country that have yet to implement the N18,000 minimum wage.
‘It is disheartening that local government employees in the state are still living below N8,000, being their monthly salaries. The pathetic development has thrown our members into formidable challenges,” he said.
According to him, civil servants in Zamfara had yet to enjoy any promotion and advancement since the coming of the Governor Yari administration.
“In the light of the foregoing, and having exhausted all peaceful avenues that may amount to declaring industrial dispute and by this action, the government is hereby put on notice of 21 days ultimatum, beginning from 21st of this month, to address all the issues raised; failure of which will leave NLC with no option than to proceed on an indefinite strike action”, Mafara said.
Reacting to labours ultimatum, Governor Yari”s Special Adviser on Media, Ibrahim Dosara, said the government had been waiting for the NLC to submit authentic list of the workers before the proper implementation of their demands.
“It is surprising to hear this from NLC knowing full well that the government was ever ready to meet their demands, but requested for thorough check of the workforce to ensure that only genuine workers are on the payroll,” he said.
“For good two years now, we have been pursuing the three boiling issues amicably on how best solutions could be achieved but, the state government remains uninterested and eventually not willing to pay required attention”, the NLC chairman said.
He said workers in Zamfara had been unlucky to have found themselves on the list of states in the country that have yet to implement the N18,000 minimum wage.
‘It is disheartening that local government employees in the state are still living below N8,000, being their monthly salaries. The pathetic development has thrown our members into formidable challenges,” he said.
According to him, civil servants in Zamfara had yet to enjoy any promotion and advancement since the coming of the Governor Yari administration.
“In the light of the foregoing, and having exhausted all peaceful avenues that may amount to declaring industrial dispute and by this action, the government is hereby put on notice of 21 days ultimatum, beginning from 21st of this month, to address all the issues raised; failure of which will leave NLC with no option than to proceed on an indefinite strike action”, Mafara said.
Reacting to labours ultimatum, Governor Yari”s Special Adviser on Media, Ibrahim Dosara, said the government had been waiting for the NLC to submit authentic list of the workers before the proper implementation of their demands.
“It is surprising to hear this from NLC knowing full well that the government was ever ready to meet their demands, but requested for thorough check of the workforce to ensure that only genuine workers are on the payroll,” he said.
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