The Nation Newspaper

Tag: salary

  • Nasarawa pays 100% December salary

    The Nasarawa State Government has paid December salaries to civil servants in the state.According to reports, most banking halls and ATM machines in Lafia were filled with customers, mainly the workers were busy making withdrawals for the Christmas shopping. The banks visited included Diamond, Unity, Union, Access, Zenith and UBA. Most banks located along Jos road in the metropolis witnessed traffic hold ups as most civil servants made efforts to be on time to withdraw money for the long break declared by the Federal Government. According to reports, the payment of salaries also came 48 hours after Gov. Tanko Al-Makura declared that the state received N8.4 billion from the federal government as part of the Paris club returns.

    Mr Joseph Emma, a civil servant in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, expressed happiness over the unprecedented development of getting his salary ahead of the Christmas period. Emma said that the payment of the salary would go a long way in assisting workers meet up with some of their domestic needs during the yuletide. However, Mr Ibrahim Mohammed of the Ministry of Health, cautioned civil servants not to spend all their salaries and remember to pay the school fees of their wards as schools would resume immediately after the New Year break. When contacted, the Special Assistant to Al-Makura on Media and Publicity, Malam Ahmed Tukur, said the payment of salaries was done in good faith to assist civil servants to celebrate the festivity joyfully. He restated the commitment of the state government to continue to give top most priority to the welfare of civil servants and other citizens of the state.

  • Kogi schools issue deadline for salary payment

    The Joint Action Committee (JAC) – the umbrella groups of labour unions in Kogi State, has urged the state government to offset salaries of workers in its tertiary institutions before December 20 to avert indefinite industrial action.

    The JAC in a communique signed by its chairman and secretary, Boluromi Sunday and Matthew Joseph Olasunkanmi, said the list of cleared workers sent to all tertiary institutions omitted names, and that those from 2015 and 2016 were not still cleared.

    It alleged that some members of schools’ governing councils have no experience, pedigree or integrity needed to be on such boards.

    It recommended that the government should direct management and governing councils of various tertiary institutions in the state to implement policies as at when due to avoid backlog of arrears.

    It added that some institutions still engage casual workers which is not in line with international labour standard.

    The group observed that some principal officers of the institutions are on acting capacity, therefore limiting their performance, and advised the government to appoint substantive principal officers in the affected institutions.

    It urged the government to as a matter of urgency direct the management of the College of Education Kabba, to regularize the appointment of affected staff for effective service delivery.

    It also noted that some of the tertiary institutions, including the College of Nursing and Midwifery, Obangede, have no full accreditation of some of their courses.

    It said there was the urgent need for government and JAC to meet on or before December 20, 2016 to deliberate.

     

  • Ortom to pay two months’ salary before Christmas

    Ortom to pay two months’ salary before Christmas

    •Ortom to probe $24m refund expenditure

    •Gov. vows to arrest abductors of journalist

     Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has promised that workers will get two months’ salary before Christmas.

    Ortom, who spoke at the Benue Peoples House yesterday, said the government would use the N12.7 billion debt refund for that purpose.

    He said although the fund would not offset the two months, the government will source funds to fulfil its promise.

    “We will ensure that workers get two months salary before Christmas. Though the Paris and London clubs refund is not enough for the two months, we will make up what is left.”

    The government owes its workers and pensioners about four months.

    The governor has said his administration would probe the $24 million expenditure, which the previous administration made from Paris and London clubs refund, which it received.

    Ortom spoke yesterday at a thanksgiving mass and bazaar at Saint Rita’s Quasi Mission, Agber, Makurdi.

    He said the previous administration received the amount as part of funds refunded by Paris and London clubs, for deductions without informing the people.

    The governor explained that the money, which has not been accounted for, was, however, traced to a United Bank for Africa (UBA) account and assured the people of a probe to find out what happened.

    While reiterating his commitment to providing critical infrastructure despite economic challenges, Ortom said the road linking Agber village to rest of the metropolis would be captured in next year’s budget.

    The governor added that culverts and drainage channels would be built to solve  perennial flooding.

    Parish Priest Rev.  Anthony Akaatenger appealed to Ortom to build two major drainage channels before next rainy season to save the people from flooding.

    Rev. Akaatenger lauded the governor’s stance to partner President Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption and prayed God to grant them the grace to succeed.

    Retired Permanent Secretary and former governorship aspirant, Chief Akange Audu, who is a resident of the area and a parishioner, thanked the governor for worshipping with the community and urged him to remain resolute in the face of economic hardship.

    Ortom vowed that abductors of Mrs. Iyuadoo Tor-Agbidye will be arrested.

    He said although the abductors were on the run, security agencies have identified them and would soon be arrested for prosecution.

  • Labour vows to resist salary cut

    The Federal Government’s decision to reduce salaries of public servants in some agencies, where their salaries and allowances are far above the threshold of National Salaries and Wages Commission has not gone down well with organised labour.

    Already, organised labour is set for a showdown with the government, as various unions disclosed to The Nation that they are not ready for any reduction in salaries and allowances of their members, particularly at this time of recession.

    Labour is also irked by the government’s plan to increase tax revenue, in view of the dwindling economic resources.

    Already, evaluation and grading department officers of the Salaries Commission are said to have gone round the country to compile data on such agencies.

    Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said last week that a circular had been issued on the approved template for the computation of operating surpluses of agencies.

    She added that there would be non-allowable expenses in the computation of operating surpluses, including salaries and staff loans in excess of approved scale by National Salaries and Wages Commission; moneti-sation of medical and other allowances; business class travel for officers other than Chairman and CEO.

    Also, salaries of some ministries and agencies were drastically cut last month with explanations that there was a new formula for determining personal income tax of workers.

    However, labour leaders, who spoke with The Nation kicked against the alleged unilateral reduction in the salaries of workers in the federal public service and warned that the move would be resisted by organised labour.

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President, Comrade Boboi Kaigama, and the National President, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Comrade Oyinkansola Olasanoye, frowned on what they described as the unexpected and unilateral reduction in workers’ salaries and asked for immediate refund of the money deducted.

    Comrade Kaigama said: “We kick against that and we ask the government to refund such deduction. We don’t know how they came about that. Workers have not been notified why, and about any increase in taxes. We call on them to refund Nigerian workers their money.”

    On the big disparity between the salaries of workers in the core ministries and some government parastatals, who are on the same level, the TUC president asked: “Is it now they are seeing that? “

    He noted that world over, it operates like that; those agencies have their pay package different from that of the core ministries and can’t equate it. He said if government wants to bridge the gap, it should increase the salaries of workers in the core ministries. “This is no time for reduction of salaries. We will kick against it and resist it”, Kaigama stated.

    On his part, Comrade Olasanoye said it was wrong for the Federal Government to reduce workers’ salary without due negotiating with their representatives.

    She said: “Actually, the Federal Government can’t reduce salary without informing the labour unions in the public sector. It is completely wrong. It was the same government that declared that the economy was in recession.

    “Government can’t take such a unilateral decision. Maybe they have met with the unions and other representatives of workers in the affected ministries and agencies. Maybe they have presented documented facts to their representatives on why it was important to reduce their salaries.  That I cannot say for sure, but government is bound to engage stakeholders before taking any decision that will affect workers’ welfare.”

    She noted that the government could only do such, having put in place basic amenities such as good health insurance for the workers, good housing scheme and others. She emphasised that ASSBIFI under her leadership will not support any move that will endanger workers’ welfare in any sector.

    However, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said he was not sure that the salary deduction story was credible. He added that the Congress had neither received any formal information about it nor confirmed it.

    Wabba said: “I am not sure it is credible. I asked the Chairman of Joint Council and that of the Federal Capital Territory of the Congress this morning, but they said the information was not credible enough.

    “We need to act on credible information and the FCT Chairman and the Joint Council Chairman are the right people to know, but we have not received any formal information on that. Salary is a right of workers and nobody can unilaterally cut it or reduce it. I enquired from them and they communicated back to me.”

    Also, the National Secretary of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Shuaibu Usman Leman, in a release titled: “Stop these deductions,” described the action as “not only callous, but also ill-advised and uncalled for.”

    He lamented that in this period of economic recession, the Muhammadu Buhari administration that was elected based on its ‘change’ mantra cannot afford any confrontation with poor workers that supported the advent of the administration. He, therefore, urged for caution.

    There was an outcry by the Federal Government staffers last week when a memo addressed to all members of staff, titled: ‘Reduction in November 2016 Salary’, stated the cut in the salary.

  • Teenager ‘assaults’ employer over salary

    Teenager ‘assaults’ employer over salary

    A 19-YEAR-OLD employee, John Edward, was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos for beating up his employer over delay in the payment of his salary.

    The accused is facing a four-count charge bordering on assault, conspiracy and malicious damage.

    The prosecutor, Mr Ishola Samuel, told the court that the accused committed the offences on September 1 at Olusoji Idowu Street, Ilupeju, Lagos. Samuel said the accused conspired with others still at large and assaulted their employer, Solomon David, over delay in the payment of their salaries.

    “The accused used dangerous weapons such as iron rod and stick to inflict injuries on the complainant,’’ the prosecutor said.

    According to him, the accused and his collaborators also destroyed a mobile telephone worth N7, 000 and tore their employer’s shirt, valued at N10, 000.

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Magistrate A .R Onilogbo granted the accused N50,000 bail with two sureties in like sum.

    The case was adjourned to November 1.

  • Workers demand new salary scale implementation

    Workers demand new salary scale implementation

    Workers of the Federal Polytechnic in Ado Ekiti protested against management for alleged non-implementation of a new salary scale.

    The protest, which started at about 6 am lasted till about noon. The workers accused management of fraud and called on the Federal Ministry of Education to investigate the allegation.

    The workers blocked the main gate and prevented movement into the campus.

    The action was carried out under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

    The protesters said they won’t resume work until they are paid. They urged the management led by the Rector, Dr. Taiwo Akande, to place them on the same level with their counterparts in Federal Polytechnics in Ilaro, Idah, Ile Oluji, Auchi, Unwana and Yaba.

    Led by ASUP Chairman Tunji Owoeye, the workers who carried placards and chanted solidarity songs, said the sanitations’s academic staff were still on Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Scale (CONTISS) 7 instead of CONTISS 8 as approved by the Federal Government.

    Students also joined the protest – complaining about what they called obnoxious charges.

    Owoeye said: “We have taken steps. We have met the management several times about this. We have written letters of warning to the management to implement this as is done in other federal polytechnics.

    “We have given 21 days notice, 14 days notice without any move by the management. We have also written our national body. In fact, let me tell you, that my own national body has given approval that by the end of 14 day ultimatum from now, we should have the institution closed down and go back home.”

    Reacting, the Deputy Registrar (Information and Public Relations), Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu said:  “Very sorry that I’m not in a position to talk to you or any of our other colleagues on the protest. Government had forbidden us from externalising the issue. Thanks.”

  • King’s College teachers on strike over salary

    Academic activities have been paralysed at King’s College (KC), Lagos following an indefinite strike by workers for alleged non-payment of salary.

    A notice pasted on the school gate reads: “Strike ongoing. Academic activities grounded in King’s College; five months salaries unpaid. Staff are dying.”

    A teacher, Mr Muhammed Isa, who spoke with our correspondent yesterday, said pupils, should have resumed on September 17 and 18 but would not do so until the issue is resolved by the federal government.

    He said the matter is the same at the Federal Government College, Idoani in Ondo State.

    Isa said: “The Federal Government has not paid our salaries for five months now. We did not even allow the pupils to resume. Obviously, we have some problems that have to be resolved. Our own children cannot go to school because our salaries have not been paid. Also, we do not have the empowerment to come to work. It has to do with money. You have to pay your transport from wherever you are to come to school, we cannot trek. There are some of our staff who are sick and cannot pay hospital bills. One of the staff came on Wednesday, in need of money to pay her hospital bills and she could not get it. She died on Friday. So this has informed us not to resume and we did not take the action without the approval of our mother union, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN).”

    Mrs Binta Duguri, who teaches Government and Civic Education said: “The non-payment of salary is really affecting us because our own children are at home, because there is no money to pay their school fees. The ones that have reached university cannot even resume. It is not fair that we should come and be teaching other children for free.”

  • Kogi’s unending salary crisis

    SIR: I plead with President Muhammadu Buhari to please intervene in the deteriorating situation in Kogi State concerning payments of salaries and pensions of workers and pensioners respectively.

    Kogi State government started a staff screening exercise since February and up till now it is on-going. Nobody quarrels with that, but our concern is the hardship the poor people are going through.

    For example, pensioners in Kogi State are 9000+.After the first round of screening, the state government came out with 4,000 paid. The remaining 5000+ pensioners are still unpaid till today. Majority has not been paid pension since December 2015 and some since January -no reasons have been given for this up till today. It must be emphasized that all the 9000+ pensioners appeared in flesh and blood before the screening committees. They are no “GHOST” at all. They were all screened.

    The Local Government Staffs & Primary School Teachers Pensioners are about 6000+. Only 2,700 were paid leaving out a total of 3,300+ pensioners unpaid-since March. They all also appeared in persons before the screening committees. They were equally screened.

    The state government has not come out with any reason(s) why these pensioners have not been paid.

    Many of these pensioners are old, some weak and sick either in the hospitals or in their homes. Many are on daily drugs and some had to pay some aides to assist them. Pensioners are dying in Kogi on daily basis as a result of frustration, hunger and sickness.

    Same goes for the workers. Up till today, no staff has been paid in any of the 21 Local government Education Authority offices since March.In some hospitals, none of the nurses are paid like in Okene General Hospital while in some schools, only 20% of the staff have been paid. There are some schools, especially, science schools where only one teacher has been paid, while in some primary schools teachers were randomly paid. This situation is all over Kogi State. There is hunger, disease and frustration all over the state.

    Please, do your independent investigations and not rely on your staff in Lokoja as all the newspapers correspondents in Lokoja may have been compromised. One wonders why the newspapers have not countered the propaganda of the government that everybody had been paid.

     

    • Tant’olorun Esan,

    Lokoja, Kogi State.

  • Commuters groan as BRT drivers protest salary delay

    Commuters groan as BRT drivers protest salary delay

    Commuters in Lagos on Tuesday groaned as drivers of the Lagos State’s Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) downed tools over alleged delay of their salary.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the scheme, being operated by Primero Transport Services Ltd., provides bus services along dedicated lanes or corridor in the Lagos metropolis.

    The company, which began operation in November 2015, has 434 buses in its fleet and more than 2,000 staff.

    Some of the drivers told NAN that they were protesting delayed salary payment, alleged unfavourable conditions of service and poor welfare.

    When NAN visited the Majidun, Ikorodu depot of the transport company, hundreds of drivers had converged on the bus corridor and barricaded it to prevent movement.

    Also, buses belonging to the company were seen parked outside.

    A driver, Mr Julius Adejire, told NAN: “For the past days we have been waiting for our salary for July but up to this moment we have not received alert for the payment.

    “The funny thing is that as at Monday evening, we discovered that some other staffers, including the engineers and ground staff have been receiving alert.

    “But the drivers have not received ours; can we drive this bus with an empty stomach?’’
    Adejire said that apart from delayed salary, the drivers wanted improved welfare and working conditions.

    “The policy guiding our job is another issue; we are working like slaves because as a driver you cannot stop to ease yourself or have break time or hour.

    “We are supposed to be doing 40 hours in a week but they subdued us to be doing 48 hours and only one day off instead of two days.

    “We have been tolerating them before now because we believe this a new project and we thought it needs to be supported, but now the situation is becoming tougher.

    “We don’t even know where we are heading; the buses are still new, is it when the buses go bad that they will pay us?’’

    He added that the management had reneged on is contractual agreement to pay N60, 000 as basic salary and N20,000 as bonus.

    “In our appointment letter they said we will receive N60,000 as basic salary and N20,000 as performance bonus.

    “Suddenly, after five months they changed it to N40,000 basic and N40,000 bonus with a lot of conditions attached to the bonus.

    “For instance, a driver will be denied the bonus pay if he or she is late to work for at least three times a month.

    “With the conditions attached to it, if care is not taken, 85 per cent of us cannot get that performance bonus.

    “You are trying to instil discipline, but there is no staff bus for drivers who come from as far as Sango Ota, Badagry and Agbara without accommodation arrangement,’’ he said.

    He added that drivers who could not afford to sleep on the bridge adjourning the BRT bus shelter often paid N500 monthly to sleep in a nearby church.

    “We have pleaded with them to give us a place, but that is not forthcoming.
    “So, what we are saying now is that they should pay us our salary as well as revert to the first appointment letter we were given.

    “They should also tell us the exact day of the month we will be receiving our salary.

    “This is the only job we depend on but the salary is often delayed, so how do we survive; we don’t collect pension even if you work for 10 years,’’ he said.

    Another driver, Mathew Oyeyemi, told NAN that the alleged delayed salary had made it difficult for him to offset the medical bills of his daughter who was recently involved in an accident.

    “As for me, I have a daughter who had an accident and whose bills I have to pay because I don’t have medical insurance yet.

    “Moreover, I have other kids, and my wife is there also; I have been trying hard to convince her that I have not been paid but she won’t take any of that.

    “I don’t understand why we are being treated like this; they make money every day; even if they want to reduce our salary to N40,000 they should pay in time,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that attempts by the company’s Managing Director, Mr Fola Tinubu to have the protesting drivers resume work proved abortive as the drivers denied being calmed.

    Tinubu, hinged the delay in salary payment on an error on the part of the banking institution handing the disbursement of the salary.

    He said: “What is happening according to what they say is that we did not pay them on time, but it is really due to an error and we’ve corrected it.

    “The money was paid yesterday; so why they are doing this now beats me because the money should be in their account by now and I have been trying to tell them’’.

    On the allegation of reviewed salary structure, Tinubu said the company’s management took the decision to review the salary to instil discipline in the protesting drivers.

    “When I took over, they were being paid a basic salary of N60, 000 and bonus of N20, 000, but nobody was being paid the bonus.

    “So, the moment I took over, I thought it was unfair for them not to pay their bonus and I made sure they get their bonus.

    “But what we discovered that majority of them are not conscientious and when they take the buses out they just park somewhere and don’t work.

    “So, we decided to shift the salary to N40, 000 and the bonus to N40, 000; it is exactly the same amount.

    “We are not trying to take money away from them but we don’t want to pay people that will not work.

    “The only people that it will affect are people that refuse to work and we don’t want those people in the system anyway.

    “What we’ve done is to incentivise them to work and we are not asking them to work any harder.

    “The way the country is today you cannot expect us to be paying people that don’t want to work, so that’s the genesis of the whole, issue,’’ he said.

    The managing director added that the management would not rest on its oars to ensure that workers got their entitlement and reward hard work.

    “We’ve even laid a very generous path for them that show that if you get your bonuses consecutively for six months you get an automatic pay increase.

    “I am even talking to some people to see how they can build a hostel for them near our office here that they will pay for.

    “So, there are so many things we are doing to make their life comfortable, but this (protest) is not going to help because of loss of revenue.

    Meanwhile, some stranded passengers who spoke to NAN expressed their disappointment and urged the Lagos State Government to intervene in the matter in the interest of commuters and residents of Lagos.

    Mr Hakeen Abdulraham, an insurance broker, said: “The buses have been a sort of life saver, especially for residents of Ikorodu because the comfort and relative cheaper fares.

    “But I was shocked when I got to the bus terminal early today to discover that the buses had yet to arrive even as at 6.30 am.

    “It is quite disappointing that this is happening at a time when the economy is biting hard as some of the yellow-painted commercial may want to take undue advantage of the situation to charge high fares,’’ he said.

  • ‘Disparity in payment of Ondo workers’ salary untenable’

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Prince Bolaji Odidi, has slammed the state government for adopting what he called ‘segmented method’ in the part payment of outstanding six months workers’ salary.

    The government at the end of its meeting with leaders of the organised Labour last Thursday resolved to pay one month salary to core civil servants, two months to health workers and three months to workers of the State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).

    Workers are to resume today after a month’s strike over non-payment of salaries.

    Odidi said since workers patronised the same market, they ought to be treated equally on the salary issue without any condition attached.

    According to him, there is no reason the government should owe workers, considering the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and federal allocation accruing to it monthly.

    Odidi, who decried the workers’ poor condition, said the state had enough resources to cater for them without depending on the Federal Government.

    His words: “Ondo State is blessed with abundant mineral resources. Being part of the Niger/Delta, it receives more allocation than many states in the Southwest. Therefore, I wonder why the government should owe its workers five months salary.”