Kogi Government, NLC Differs on Workers' Screening before Payment

Barely three days that Kogi state workers resumed work after forty days of strike action, the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has described the new plan by the Yahaya Bello led administration to screen workers before the payment of October 2015 as back-stabbing and in bad faith.



The state governor through his Chief Press Secretary, Kingsley Fanwo, has directed all civil servants to help in weeding out ghost workers from the state.

He stated that the wage bill has been over-bloated by over 300%, stating that ghost workers were partly responsible for the astronomical rise in the state wages

To qualify for payment of the one month salary promised by the Governor, the governor equally directed that civil servants to complete a verification form with certain informations, such as Appointment /Employment Letter, Confirmation of Appointment /Employment Letter, All promotion Letters, Statement of Salary Account or Pay slips for the last 24 months (bank waiver), Copy of Staff Identity Card, and Personal Credentials such as State of Origin Certificate, Birth Certificate and Academic Credentials.

But the labour rodage (thursday), came heavily on the state governor's plan to verify workers in the state, the action they described as unsaleable and betrayal of trust by the state government.

The Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Edoka Onuh, in a media briefing at the Labour office stressed that the governor's plan was in total contrast with early agreement reached, which eventually led to the suspension of the strike.

"But to our surprise, the governor, having agreed on the 2nd of February with the labour leaders that he was going to pay out of four months salary owed workers, made a u-turn by directing the state permanent secretaries to make pro forma and screen the state workers before they recieve thier October salary. This is outragious, and wicked."

"This administration as far as we are concern is out to back-stab the state labour leaders and also insensitive toward the plight of the civil servants in the state. On a realistic note, these workers who are been down for four months without salary, will have to travel far distance to Lokoja, the state capital, to obtain form, fill it, photocopy and submit, on which account this burden will fall on?," he added.

While urging the state workers to disregard and ignore any form of screening until their salary is paid, Edoka said the labour union has issued seven days ultimatum to the state governor to retrace his decision and pay the October salary.

He added that before the planned screening will see the light of the day, labour and government must seat together and fashion out the modus operandis on how the screening will be conducted.

He stated  failure that the state government should renege from his decision within the ultimated seven days, or else workers will go back to indefinite strike action.