The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked President Muhammadu
Buhari not to release the third and final tranche of the Paris Club
refund to state governors until they make a concrete commitment to use
the money to settle outstanding salaries, allowances and pension of
workers and retirees in the country.
The congress is also demanding an immediate and comprehensive audit
of all monies so far spent in government effort at reviving the power
sector in the country since 1999 which it said has failed to yield
result, but rather produce several billionaires as a result of diversion
of the funds.
In a communique made available to newsmen at the end of its Central
Working Committee meeting, the Congress is asking the government to
immediately inaugurate the National Minimum Wage negotiating committee
in view of the impoverishment of workers.
The communique signed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and
General Secretary, Dr, Peter Ozo-Ezon also wants the federal government
to compel state governors to properly account for the bailout they
received from the federal government as well as the two tranches of the
Paris Club refund which was supposed to be used for the payment of
salaries and pensions, but diverted to other uses.
The Congress regretted that government has not lived up the
expectation of Nigerians and are in the habit of reneging on signed
agreements with unions, pointing out that the ongoing strike by members
of the Academic Staff Union of Universities was avoidable.
The congress said that “many of the discussions around restructuring
have not paid adequate attention to the question of health. It resolved
to set up a committee to harmonise the various views expressed at the
meeting with a view to articulating a congress position on the issue for
subsequent presentation to the organised labour.
“It reviewed the continuous non payment of months of outstanding
salaries of workers in some states of the federation as well as various
arrears of pension which has also run into several months which is the
actual situation despite President Buhari’s passion to address this
matter since he assumed office by giving bail out to governors to clear
this shameful state of affairs with the nation’s workforce.”
The Congress also deplored the poor service delivery in the power
sector saying, “since the current administration came to power in May
2015, it had given N740 billion to the power sector as intervention fund
without much to show for it. CWC therefore cannot comprehend the
rationale behind the administration’s preparedness to give a further N39
billion bailout to DISCOs for metering purpose.”
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