From CHRISTIANA EKPA, Lokoja
The Organised Labour, comprising of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiation Council (JNC) in Kogi State have directed workers in the state to continue with the indefinite strike embarked upon since December 23, 2015.
Mr. Onuh Edoka, State Chairman of NLC in the state flanked by chairman and secretaries of the three labour bodies made the call at a press conference in Lokoja on Tuesday.
Edoka said that the decision was informed by government’s unwillingness to pay a “dime” out of the three months salary arrears owed the workers by the state government.
He said that Kogi workers received salaries only up till September 2015, adding that their October, November and December salaries were not paid in spite of the fact that government received its Federal Allocations for the three months. “For the first time since 1999 when democracy returned to our country, Kogi workers celebrated Christmas in hunger even as the state government collected three consecutive Federal Allocations from October, 2015 without paying any salary,” he said.
Edoka said that, at a meeting of the organised labour with Governor Idris Wada on December 31, 2015, the governor disclosed government’s position that it was clear that all hope of getting even a month’s salary was dashed.
“Governor Wada claimed that the December 2015 allocation that came into the state was hijacked by the bank to settle outstanding facilities earlier granted the state. Therefore, there is no hope of any payment of salaries until the next administration takes over governance. He also claimed that no bank is ready to offer him any facilitiy to augment what is available now,” Edoka narrated.
The Organised Labour, therefore, questioned where funds from the Value Added Tax (VAT), Non-oil Differential Allocations for the months of October and December went as well as the true position of the N10 billion Development Fund.
Edoka also questioned the purpose of the overdrafts for which the bank was hijacking the state’s allocations and if it was true that Governor Wada in three days spent N78 million as his traveling allowance. He called for the intervention of the Legislature and the Judiciary as well as traditional rulers, political leaders and well-meaning citizens to intervene adding: “Our doors are still open for dialogue,” he said.