Forget about your three demands, we need N35k wage adjustment – Jigawa workers tell NLC

Civil servants in Jigawa State have urged the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in the state to forget about all its demands and work towards the actualization of the N35,000 wage award in the state.

Some of the workers raised concern over the recent agreement reached between the Federal Government and NLC to suspend the planned industrial action scheduled to commence on Tuesday.

Part of the agreement includes the payment of a six-month wage award of N35,000 to Federal Government workers and directed state NLC chapters to ensure the full implementation of the same amount to state and local government workers.

Reacting to the directives, Malam Aliyu, a staff member of Jigawa State civil service accused the state chapters of allegedly dancing to the tune of state governments.

“NLC at the national level has done its part what remains now is for state chapters to push and ensure full compliance without compromising.

“Both Federal, state and local government workers were affected by the fuel subsidy removal the same way, therefore there is no basis for state governments to reduce the said amount as the federal government has issued enough money to state governments,” he said.

Iliya, another staff membet blamed the state NLC for making three demands to the state government rather than pushing to ensure implementation of the same wage award to state and local government workers.

“The NLC in Jigawa is illogical and lost focus. This is a time to defend the rights of workers at the state level as the National body of the labor union did with the FG. But NLC Jigawa is coming up with three demands, particularly Soft Loans, food palliative, and transport allowance.

“We don’t want any soft loan or palliatives, The NLC should base its negotiation with the state government on adopting what the FG implements,” he said.

They urged the state governor Malam Umar Namadi to consider the current hardship state and local governments workers are going through to implement the said amount without any negotiations.