By Adadareporters
The Abia State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress has called on Governor Alex Otti to implement the #35,000 wage bill award approved for workers by the federal government to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
The state chairman of NLC, Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro, stated this when he led the state executives of the congress to a visit to Governor Otti at the Government House, Umuahia.
Comrade Okoro urged Dr Otti to address the high-handedness of some government appointees against civil servants and also offset the arrears of salaries ranging from three to thirty months owed various categories of workers by the previous administration in the state.
Okoro used the opportunity to draw the attention of the governor to the verification issue that had denied some workers their salaries for about seven months. He also alleged victimization of workers by a flour mill company operating in Aba.
He called on Gov Otti to see Abia workers “as an integral part of his administration”, and commended the governor for his numerous achievements in office, including keeping to his promise of paying salaries to Abia workers on 28th of every month.
Governor Otti said his administration was considering the implementation of #35,000 wage award approved by the federal government for workers, adding that a committee set up for the exercise had submitted its first report. According to him, the committee was asked to amend some parts of the report and report back.
On the biases in the salary structure for health workers in the state partaining to the consolidated health salary structure, CONHES, the governor said he had directed the commissioner for finance to look into the matter.
He pledged to look into arrears of salaries owed Abia workers in various MDAs and parastatals, including ABSUTH, ASUBEB, ASCETA, Abiapoly and primary school teachers by the previous administration.
According to the governor, a team is working with the Nigerian Union of Pensioners to reach a resolution on how to offset the arrears owed pensioners in the state but alleged there were still bad eggs in the system that engaged in padding of salaries and other vices.
He implored NLC to help identify such people who were stealing from the government.
