By Onwukwe Ezeru, Abia
Abia State government has been urged to offset the backlog arrears of salaries owed local government council workers for the interest of peace in the state. State President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Abia State chapter, Ijoma Onyenaucheya, disclosed this in an interaction with newsmen in Umuahia.
He decried the excruciating pains and agonies being experienced by workers in the state as unbearable.
According to him, the non-regular payment of salaries and allowances has brought hardship to council workers, adding that the present economic recession facing the nation has taken toll on untimely death of many workers due to hunger, frustration and hypertension. Onyenaucheya said that in line with the Bible injunction that “A labourer deserves his wage” said, the state government should therefore make the payment of salaries its priority and that all internally generated revenue allocation from the federation accounts both state and local government should be devoted to payment of salaries to state and local government workers before further disbursement and other financial obligation and therefore should show serious concern for workers welfare and explore genuine option to alleviate the trauma being faced by the workers.