By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the organized labour in Niger state on Monday faulted the uneven distribution of palliative by the Niger state government.
The union, which accused the Niger state government of going against its earlier agreement directed its member to boycott the distribution exercise.
A statement jointly signed by the State Chairman, of NLC in Niger state, Idrees Lafene, and the state TUC Chairman, Ibrahim Gana instead advised that “the N110 million announced as palliatives for industrial unions should be collapsed and added to whatever palliatives are intended for the generality of workers and credited directly to salary accounts of civil servants and retirees in the State and LGAs sustainably for 6 months.”
“The Organized Labour finds it odd that the Executive Governor did not come out clearly to include the working class in the first phase of the palliatives.
“The deliberate plan by Niger State Government to skim out the working class and pensioners in the palliatives has triggered serious tension among members of Organized Labour that could have a negative effect on the overall productivity of the working class.”
The union therefore demanded, among other things, the payment of N50,000 on a flat rate basis as palliatives to all working class and retirees in the state and LGAs, suspensions of PAYEE until further review of minimum wage, and the immediate implementation of minimum pension based on N30,000 national minimum wage to retirees in the state and LGAs.
Other demands include the immediate implementation of outstanding promotions and annual increments for eligible workers in the state and LGAs, implementation of consequential adjustment and Domestic Servants Allowance for eligible workers in the LGAs, payment of outstanding annual leave grants to categories of workers that are yet to benefit at the state and LGAs as well as the monitoring and enforcing of price control measures on essential commodities.
This is in addition to the demand for complete rehabilitation of infrastructural facilities across the state and LGAs, the improved security situation in the state and LGAs with special emphasis on encouraging local vigilantes.
