Economy

THE organised labour has urged all public servants in Plateau to strictly comply with the five-day sit-at-home directive to affiliate unions to ensure desired result.

Addressing newsmen in Jos on Monday, Mr Titus Malau, Chairman, Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Plateau chapter said that there was no going back on the warning strike.

According to Malau, the warning strike is total and comprehensive and urged all workers to remain at home.

He said that the warning strike which started midnight of Sunday, became imperative following government’s failure to fulfill the demands of workers.

He said that JNPSNC was particularly concerned that government reneged in fulfilling the agreement reached on Nov. 11, with intervention of the Secretary to the State Government.

The chairman listed the issues that necessitated the strike to include; irregularities in the computation of salaries and payment of same to workers.

“To that effect, JNPSNC demands for immediate approval and release of the salary structure to guide salary computation.

“It also demands for immediate settlement of outstanding salaries to date.

“It equally frowned at government’s inability to release workers’ promotion and annual increments with arrears in full.

“It condemn in totality the payment of three months of arrears only of late promotions and demands for immediate release and implementation of workers promotion with full arrears,” he said.

Malau said that the congress decried the non-release of the third party deductions such as union dues, cooperative deductions, Federal Mortgage Bank deductions and salaries paid.

He appealed to the state  government to immediately settle all third party deductions.

The Chairman, Nigerian Labour Congress, Plateau Council, Mr Eugene Manji, also said that workers were owed five months salaries.

Manji said that the organised labour gave government sufficient time to settle the outstanding issues.

“We are left with no option than where we are today and at the expiration of this five days strike, we are going to strategise and decide the way forward.

“It is pathetic, the children of some workers have not been able to go to school since September.

“Some people cannot take care of their health needs and they cannot access cooperatives where they have been saving for rents and school fees,’’ he said.

Also, the Vice Chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mrs Chundung Alamba, said that labour was not fighting the government but canvassing to save workers from starvation.

Alamba said that Plateau workers were angry because, “an hungry man they say is an angry man”.

The TUC vice chairman urged members to fully cooperate with the leadership to achieve the desired results. (NAN)

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Tags: Chundung Alamba Eugene Manji Titus Malau