Imo workers, pensioners groan over salary arrears, 80% pay cut
By Ukpono Ukpong
Imo State government has been implored to urgently pay the three months salary arrears owed to workers, pensioners.
In the same vein, Imo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (ISOPADEC) workers have appealed to the state government to reverse the 80 per cent cut in their salaries in July.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Ayuba Wabba, in a letter to Governor Hope Uzodinma, said that workers and pensioners were yet to receive salaries and pension since March 2020.
Lamenting the unfair, inclement and very harsh working conditions that public workers in Imo State are currently facing, Wabba said even pensioners are being owed over three months pension arrears, Daily Times gathered.
“Some of these very dehumanizing conditions include: the payment of salaries are staggered as less than 70 per cent of public and civil servants have not been paid salaries since March 2020.
“Incidences of salary slashes for those who are paid salaries for example lawyers in the Ministry of Justice were paid only 25 per cent of their salaries for April, May and June and no reason was given for this.
“The negotiation between workers’ representative organisations and the Imo State Government on salaries adjustment consequent on the new national minimum wage has been suspended by the state government; “Pensioners in Imo State are owed over 3 months pension arrears.
Also the non-remittance of check-off deductions since February 2020 and stoppage of check-off dues deductions by Ministries, Departments and Agencies,” he said. Expressing displeasure over the prolonged salary indebtedness to the workers as well as arrears of salaries slashes, Wabba likened their plight to modern slavery.
“It is really unfortunate that even trade unions and other workers’ representative organisations are not spared the current hostile industrial relations climate in Imo State.
“We understand that statutory checkoff dues deductions from workers in Imo State are not remitted to the trade unions and to the national labour centres as our labour laws demand.
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“In fact, Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Imo State have for some time now stopped the deduction of check-off dues. This anti-labour behaviours are against our laws as a country.”
He, therefore, called for immediate payment of salaries arrears owed Imo state workers, especially those owed since March 2020 and also the full release of slashed salary arrears withheld by the Imo State government for about three months.
