By Ummi Ismaeel
Minna
The feud between Niger State government and civil servants is far from being over as workers on Tuesday rejected the upward review from 70 percent to 90 percent of their monthly salaries as proposed by the Governor Sani Bello-led administration to down tools. The workers
are also demanding for the governor’s immediate resignation for ‘‘administrative incompetence.’’
The commencement of indefinite strike by civil servants in the state public service Wednesday, July 13, 2016, followed the expiration of the two weeks ultimatum mandating the state government to release complete salaries of workers or face their wrath.
The organized labour on the first day of an indefinite strike declared to press home the demands for the restoration of payment of full salaries to workers said, “It is not the business of civil servants or Niger elite to know who he is, governance and if Mr. Governor lacks the knowledge and good frame of mind to govern, the door is wide open for him to either resign or quit”.
Niger State government had last month reduced the salaries of its workers by a minimum of 70%, claiming that the decision to slash salaries ‘‘was in the best interest of the state’’ and as a way of saving cost due to decline in the income from the Federation Account.
The state government, according to a press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Bello, Jibrin Ndace reads: “The improvement from the 70 percent paid workers in June was in anticipation of improved revenues from both federation allocation and the Budget Support Fund-Federal government bailout facility as well as the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)”.
The statement which was released few hours before commencement of the indefinite strike Monday also said, “Government will still use 70 per cent of the Federation Allocation and 30 per cent of the bailout support to pay workers’ salaries”.
But the two weeks ultimatum for the state government to pay full salaries or face the wrath of workers’ expired Monday midnight and the NLC and the Trade Union Congress mobilized members for a show-down with the state government.
Consequently, the gates to the old and new state secretariat along Paiko road and Keteren-Gwari area were under lock and key against some workers who had wanted to sabotage the labour union’s moves in the state to gain entry into the premises.
Except for some senior civil servants, contract staff who resumed duty in most government facilities, our correspondent who went round to ascertain the level of compliant reports that in some ministries where senior civil servants had to park their cars distances away before gaining entrance through back doors while others who could not get into their offices stood in groups discussing situations of things in Niger State.
At the Minna General Hospital, the situation was rather pathetic as patients who would have ordinarily been admitted were rejected while those already on admission had no one attending to them while the entire environment stinks.
The NLC had in its first bulletin on the strike had asked all workers to support the action but advised that there should be no protest on the streets to avoid a situation whereby hoodlums will cash-in on workers’ protest to loot or cause wanton destruction of lives and properties out of severe economic frustrations being experienced in the state.
The bulletin in part reads, “Workers should remain patient, law-abiding and await further directives”.
Meanwhile, Niger State Commissioner for Information, Tourism and Culture, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement, asked workers to report at their duty posts because an Industrial Court sitting in Abuja had declared that the strike should be put on hold pending the determination of the suit on the matter before it.
Vatsa further stated: “The Niger State Government has secured an order of interim injunction restraining the Comrade Idris Yahaya Ndako, Chairman NLC and Comrade Yunusa Tanimu, Chairman of TUC from calling civil and public servants in Niger State on a strike
action pending the determination of the motion on notice which is fixed for 15th of July, 2016.
“The Expertise Order was granted by Hon. Justice P.O Lifu (JP) of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria Holden in Abuja after considering Suit No: NICN/ABJ/259/2016 also joined in
the expert order Incorporated Trustees of both NLC and TUC, I’m Niger State”.
The state NLC chairman, Comrade Yahaya Idris Ndako, in reaction to the said Court injunction denied knowledge of the suit, saying, “The Congress is not aware of any injunction restraining it from embarking on strike”.
