The
leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress has threatened to shut down
airports across the country if governors owing civil servants salaries
do not pay the salaries immediately.
The National Vice- President of the NLC,
Mrs. Lucy Offiong, stated this in Jos on Thursday while leading a
protest of the Plateau State chapter of the union over non-payment of
salaries of members by the state government.
She said such a drastic measure had
become imperative in order to compel governors to pay workers’ salaries
in the affected states and alleviate their plight.
According to her, shutting down the
airports would deprive the governors the luxury of travelling by air
while their workers suffered.
Offing said, “Governors who are among the
most frequent users of airports may need to be deprived of the
facilities so that they would be moved to give their workers their
monthly wage.”
Plateau State Chairman of the NLC, Mr.
Jibrin Bancir, said the union took its protest to the state House of
Assembly because the Assembly, which passed the state budget with a
provision for workers’ salaries, should be able to compel the state
governor to pay.
“I don’t know what the House of Assembly
members are doing to provide relief to civil servants whose children are
out of school and who cannot afford to feed their families. So, we are
here to let the House know what workers are going through and to ask the
House to prevail upon the governor to fulfil his obligations to the
workers, including the payment of their salaries and other outstanding
entitlements,” Bancir said.
Plateau workers, who had been on strike since May 4, are being owed six months arrears of salaries.
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