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Tag: salaries

  • NLC to Mimiko, Fayose: non-payment of workers’ salaries a crime

    The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) at the weekend told governors of Ondo and Ekiti states that non-payment of salaries to workers is a crime.

    In separate letters to Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko and his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayodele Fayose, NLC President Ayuba Wabba said though the congress was aware of the economic challenges facing the country, it was not an excuse to owe workers and pensioners.

    Wabba, in his letter to Mimiko, said: “We are not unaware of the present socio-economic challenges in the country.  However, in our estimation, this should not be an acceptable reason for not paying five months salaries and pensions at the level of the state, and four months salaries and pensions at the level of local government and teachers.

    “Sir, you do not need a lecture from anyone to know that non-payment of salaries and pensions for months on end, constitutes a crime against the workers, pensioners and their families, whose lives and obligation to man and God and their sense of self-worth have been put in jeopardy.

    “As one with activist background and one with whom we have had collaboration, these issues are clear and self-evident, and therefore need no belabouring.

    “Your excellency, in these difficult moments in our nation, we no doubt have limited choices, but choices, all the same.  One of these choices is to take a critical look at government expenditure, especially in the areas of political appointments, patronage and allied costs.

    “We similarly call for the renewed drive in the internally-generated revenue.  We have reason to believe that when these initiatives are complimented by the bail-out funds released by the Federal Government, the twin issues of salaries and pensions will not be such a burden.

    “As we noted in our letter to you on the 40th anniversary celebration of Ondo State, you have left a legacy.  We urge you to do all that is necessary to sustain this legacy.  Accordingly, we will not relent in urging you to put in motion the necessary logistics for the commencement of the payment of these salaries and pensions”.

    Wabba also asked Fayose to take steps to bring the strike to an end.

    He said the congress was ready to act as a mediator between the striking workers and the state government to find a solution to the dispute.

    “The issues that led to this strike action are well-known to you and include the non-payment of five months’ salary arrears and pensions; non-implementation of promotion report since 2014; issues around staff verification exercise in 2015; and refusal of government to disclose the actual monthly IGR.

    “We are not unconcerned about the prevailing socio-economic challenges in the polity.  In our view, however, this does not constitute an acceptable rationale for owing workers and pensioners for so long.  A labourer, the Holy Books, tell us, deserves his wages.  Stripped of his wages, he is reduced to a slave without rights or privileges.

    “In the instant case, the workers and pensioners in the state have been pulverised into submission due to the default in the payment of their salaries and pensions to the extent that they are unable to perform their obligations to God, man and the state.

    “We believe this painful situation could be minimised, if not entirely reduced, if government gives consideration to managing the cost of governance, raising the IGR profile and appropriately applying the bail-out funds given by the Federal Government.

    “We urge you to bring this strike action speedily to an end by commencing the process of payment and establishing a platform for dialogue at which the leadership of the workers at the state level could be availed of what accrues to the coffers of the state monthly.

  • 10 months’ unpaid salaries: Kwara workers begin strike

    The Committee of Unions of Tertiary Institutions (CUTI) comprising COLAASU, SSUCOEN and NASU Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS) chapter has condemned the neglect of workers of its institutions by the state government.

    The association said since the state government had refused to fulfill its part of the agreement reached following the four months strike, they decided to embark on an indefinite strike until their salary arrears were cleared.

    A statement from the group signed by its chairman, Comrade Mohammed Umar Faruq, and its secretary, Comrade Usman K Ali, said: “Sequel to the suspension of the four month strike action by CUTI on 18th February, 2016 following the intervention by stakeholders and the acceptance of responsibility by the state government to pay salary arrears according to the management, the staff are still being owed from August, 2015 till date.

    “We have over time endured non-implementation of annual increments, non-monetisation of 2013 promotion, non-implementation of 2014 and 2015 promotions and non-implementation of 2013 migration of concerned staff.

    “Our members can no longer withstand the predicament caused by the above situations. In view of the above at the congress held last week Wednesday, it was resolved that the management must effect all the above prayers on or before Friday, particularly payment of 10 months outstanding salaries or be left with no option from the staff than to immediately resume the suspended strike action”, the statement read

    Meanwhile, the workers of the Kwara State College of Education, Oro have also begun an indefinite strike over unpaid eight months salary arrears.

  • Ondo workers begin strike over salaries

    Ondo workers begin strike over salaries

    •Govt: we’re working to pay

    ONDO State workers will today begin an indefinite strike over non-payment of their five months’ salaries.

    The decision to embark on the industrial action was taken at a meeting yesterday morning in Akure, the state capital.

    It was attended by leaders of Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

    A statement jointly issued by the unions’ chairmen – NLC (Bosede Daramola), JNC (Adeleye Sunday) and TUC (Ekundayo Soladoye) as well as their secretaries – NLC (Adewale Sanusi), JNC (Akinlolu Oluwole and TUC (Fatuase Clement) – lamented the hardship being faced by the workers.

    It reads: “At the emergency meeting held Tuesday, May 31, 2016, by the leadership of JNC, NLC and TUC to deliberate on the plight of workers due to the failure of the state government to pay its workers/pensioners since January 2016, the labour leaders resolve as follows:

    That it has become unbearable that workers have not received salaries for the past five months at a stretch.

    That non-payment of salaries to workers have affected the well-being of workers/pensioners economically, socially, psychologically and health wise, and that workers in the state can no longer bear this situation, in view of the untold hardship suffered by these workers.

    “In view of the above, all workers are hereby directed to embark on an indefinite strike as from tomorrow until further notice.”

    But the state government yesterday sympathised with the workers over their unpaid salaries, saying efforts are being made to “clear outstanding salaries as soon as possible”.

    Commissioner for Information Kayode Akinmade, in a statement issued in Akure, explained that allocation from the Federation Account, which all states rely upon to pay workers’ salaries, has drastically gone down.

    He added: “Today, most states of the federation have devised the means of preserving between five and six months’ allocations to be able to pay month’s salary.

    “The state government being a people’s government is not folding its arms. We are already discussing with the Federal Government on the need to reimburse the state with the money deducted from states’ funds to offset the Paris Club’s debt.

    “It is also important that to say that the Federal Government has verified more than N9.5 billion that Ondo State government disbursed on the maintenance of federal facilities within our jurisdiction. If we get funds from these two sources, we would be in a better position to clear the backlog of salaries.

    “We also want say that this is a trying period for the country and we crave the workers’ understanding to have a rethink because of the implications and consequences of the planned industrial actions on the millions of Ondo people.”

  • FG introduces automated payment of salaries, allowances

    FG introduces automated payment of salaries, allowances

    The federal government is alarmed that it is spending N165 billion every month on salaries and allowances of workers across the country.

    To find a way of reducing the huge wage bill, President Muhammdu Buhari has directed the compulsory automation of payment of workers’ salaries and allowances as a means of reducing the cost of governance.

    Speaking when serving Chiefs under the federal ministry of interior came to the ministry of finance to plug into the payment automation exercise, the minister of finance Mrs Kemi Adeosun said President Muhammadu Buhari wants everybody to be on the automated payment system which will lead to improvement in financial control and transparency.

    Adeosun then lamented that the government spends N165 billion every month on payment of salaries and allowances a development which has now made it necessary to automate this payments.

    With regards to capturing the biometric details of members of the military and other security agencies, the finance minister disclosed that the military has been asked to design a road map for securing their information and assured other security agencies that their security dates will be adequately protected.

    Also speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary, federal ministry of interior Mr. Bassey Akpanyung said the presidential directive to automate the payment systems to enable government know who is being paid and the number of personnel in its services to help determine if any services requires more men or is over staffed.

    The Ministry of Finance’s Director of Special Projects, who is in charge of the continuous audit exercise, Mr. Mohammed Dikwa said the essences of the automation of the payment is that there is need to look carefully to make sure that all those areas of leakages are blocked, “and we have come up with a plan to implement this programme.”

    Dikwa also revealed that “as at today, since we started the continuous audit programme, we have saved about N50 billion and over 43,000 ghost workers have been removed from the payroll of the federal government.”

     

  • N165b monthly salaries not sustainable, says Adeosun

    The N165 billion monthly salaries to federal civil servants was over-bloated and could no longer be sustained by government,  the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has said.

    The Minister, who spoke at a meeting with the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN)  hosted by her counterpart in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the figure, represented 40 per cent of the total spending of government, an amount she claimed, was too high.

    She pointed out that government was pursuing aggressive measures to detect and eventually prosecute ghost workers and other saboteurs in the system that have resulted in the malaise.

    “We spend 165 billion every month on salaries and when I came in there was no checking.

    “Now, we have created a Unit assigned with the sole responsibility of checking the salaries and catching those behind the over bloated salaries,’’ she said.

    Mrs. Adeosun said the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) introduced by the previous administration was faulty and sabotaged by the elements benefitting from the salary fraud, adding that many Federal Government establishments, including the Police were yet to be captured in the system.

    It is shocking that the Nigerian Railway Corporation which was not fully functioning, still had 10,000 workers in its payroll serviced by government, she said, assurring that government would correct the anomalies in the payroll system and weed out all ghost workers in the service.

    Mrs. Adeosun said the fiscal focus of the administration is to ensure an economic growth that would be measured on job creation and productive sectors.

    “The economy is not measured by how many private jets we have, but how many jobs we create People must be productive for the economy to grow,” she said.

    She expressed disappointment that Nigeria has been a consumer economy, stressing, “we want to be productive and stop buying everything from abroad. We have been borrowing to pay salaries for years and that has to stop because it is not sustainable.”

    She said last year, the nation spent N64 billion on travelling and only N90 billion on roads. Travelling does not grow the economy and this must also stop,’’ she stressed.

    Mrs. Adeosun said that the compound Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) of the country has been growing negatively in the last 10 years, staing that the administration is working to correct the trend.

    Also, the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh said government would reposition the agricultural sector to become the mainstay of the economy.

    “The ministry will give policy direction and coordination to make farming attractive and for people to practice it as business,” he said. adding that government will put policy in place to recover the $22 billion which is floating out of the country’s resources to sustain farms in other countries.

    He said government will also ensure that banks review the two digits interest rate on loan to farmers and other productive sectors.

    Ogbeh assured that the Change promised may appear to be slow, but it is actually taking place, he said saying that year, the country has harvested a million tons of rice..

    The Minister of the Environment, Amina Mohammed said government would complete the clean-up of the Ogoni land in the next one year and ensure the degraded land was revived for productive purposes.

    She said the Great Green Wall project of planting trees to control desert encroachment would also be given priority by the administration.

  • Ekiti workers shun rally over unpaid salaries, doctors’ death

    Majority of workers in Ekiti State stayed away from the celebration of the 2016 May Day. Only a few of them gathered at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium to witness the event.

    The lack of interest in the rally by workers could be attributed to the non-payment of four months arrears of salaries and the mournful mood of the state which yet to recover from the death of six medical doctors who died on their way to Sokoto last week for the Nigerian Medical Association ( NMA) Annual Conference.

    At yesterday’s rally which was also boycotted by Governor Ayo Fayose, only the state box section of the stadium was occupied by those who cared to show up as at 12 noon when the event was almost ending.

    They offered prayers for the revival of the nation’s economy to enhance prompt payment of salaries and other benefits.

    They mourned death of the six doctors and their driver last Sunday association who died in an auto crash on the Kaduna road praying to God to grant  the families the fortitude to bear the monumental loss.

    Labour urged Fayose to review the state workers’ wage bill which currently stands at N2.6billion, saying the measure became imperative because the same figure was declared by the Kayode Fayemi administration.

    NLC Chairman Ade  Adesanmi urged Fayoseto pay the workers their gross salaries rather than net adding that this is the best way the plight of the workers can be alleviated in view of the encumbrances in the payment  of salaries due to economic downturn.

    On the agitation for the review of the wage bill , Adesanmi said : “the current wage bill quoted was inherited from the immediate past administration. After one year of this administration, we expect that the bill would have reduced.

    “This  is because no employment was done and  civil servants are retiring every day. If this is look into, more resources will be available for the payment of salaries and perform other government functions”.

    The workers also called for the immediate release of the 2015 verification exercise, so that those involved  could know their fate.

    Fayose, represented by the Head of Service, Gbenga Faseluka, commended the workers in the country for their resilience in the face of biting economic situation, but expressed the hope that the future holds better prospect for the employers and the employees.

    The governor noted that the prevailing economic situation must also not be allowed to cause disharmony between the organised labour and the government.

    He said: “Notwithstanding the dwindling allocations to the state, the huge debt obligations we inherited and the near zero industrial base of the state which means poor internally-generated revenue, we are still better.

    “Our administration has not hidden all necessary facts about our finances from labour and we cannot but appreciate your understanding and support in this critical period. All hope is not lost, as there is a silver lining ahead.

    “The current situation does not affect workers only, it affects all of us. But I am very optimistic that with your continued support and prayers, we will weather the storm.

    “I wish you all a happy celebration of your day and I pray that God will spare our lives and when next your day comes, we will all have a better story to tell.”

  • Labour praises Buhari on early salaries’ payment

    Senior Federal Public Servants have praised President Muhammadu Buhari over the early payment of the April emoluments of federal workers.

    The public servants, under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), said they were satisfied with the compliance by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF)  to Buhari’s instruction that federal civil servants should be paid between the 24th and 25th of every month.

    ASCSN President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, while acknowledging workers’ appreciation for the timely implementation of the President’s directive, urged Buhari to also ensure that promotion arrears and other allowances owed federal employees were settled in good time.

    ‘‘We commend Mr. President for this directive and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for carrying it out,” Kaigama said in a statement yesterday, adding, “It is our hope that the OAGF has put necessary machinery in place to sustain the payment schedule and not to relapse to the old ways after few months.

  • Salaries: We’ll comply with President’s directive, says AGF

    Salaries: We’ll comply with President’s directive, says AGF

    The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, has disclosed that his office is working assiduously to ensure that it complies with the directive of President Muhammdu Buhari to pay salaries on or before the 24th or 25th of every month.

    According to the AGF, there is a standing instruction from Mr. President for workers to be paid on or before 24 or 25 of every month, but compliance had been hampered by the limited resources available to government, which he said could only be determined after the monthly FAAC meeting.

    The AGF assured that the necessary approval would be sought and got to ensure that this becomes a reality.

    Mr. Idris said the Federal Government had taken steps to make provisions that would allow the accommodation of salary payments before the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), meeting.

    To see how successful this will be, the AGF said the provision to accommodate the payment of workers’ salaries on or before the 25th of every month would be given a test this month.

    Ahmed Idris gave the assurance that “the Federal Government is working out modalities to ensure that payment of Federal Government workers’ salaries are paid early, in line with the directives of Mr. President.”

  • Salaries: Osun APC seeks Fed Govt’s intervention

    Salaries: Osun APC seeks Fed Govt’s intervention

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has called on the Federal Government to  intervene in the escalating salary crisis affecting many states.

    A statement by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, said it is imperative that the Federal Government assist “these states overcome this crisis on time”.

    It said: “We are approaching an emergency on this crisis, because not only is the crisis spreading like wild fire across the nation. It is assuming a dimension that would seriously affect the economy of the country.”

    Praising the Federal Government for its previous bailout intervention, the party said the intervention was not only inadequate but has only marginally addressed the crisis.

    “To avoid an emergency that could create difficulties for the economy in the next decade, the Federal Government must address the problem now, even it means having recourse to our reserves.

    “What was cynically thought to be an Osun problem is now suddenly a national emergency.

    “Those politicians who were mocking Osun have suddenly become quiet now that their own states owe between six and 10 months salaries, especially in Bayelsa State.

    We are, therefore, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government to help the affected states out of this crisis.

    “Since it has been impossible for states to use internally generated revenue to pay its workers, it is unlikely to do so in the next decade without major restructuring of the political and economic landscape of the country as it currently exist.”

  • Ikhana begs Ajimobi over 3SC players’ 5-month unpaid salaries

    Ikhana begs Ajimobi over 3SC players’ 5-month unpaid salaries

    Coach Kadiri Ikhana of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan on Saturday appealed to the Oyo State Government to pay the club’s players their outstanding five-month salaries.

    Ikhana said his players had been honouring their league matches discontented, hungry and unhappy, adding that they could only play well if they ate well.

    “It has been tough for the team recently, especially when we have to play eight matches in 16 days. Now we are going on a long journey to play against

    Nasarawa United and Kano Pillars. The players have been going out there to play matches on empty stomachs and I am appealing to the government to do more on the unpaid salaries,’’ he said.

    Ikhana told newsmen in Ibadan, after his team defeated visiting Heartland Football Club of Owerri 2-1, that his players’ morale was down as a result of the situation.

    Meanwhile, coach Alphonsus Dike of Heartland FC has described his team’s loss to 3SC as unfortunate, adding that they lost it in their defence. He however alleged that there was a general distraction for his team in the game from the spectators, which he said “was unruly and uncalled for’’.

    Dike said his team would now have to return to base and strategise on how to win their remaining matches.