Trade Union Congress

The All Workers Convergence has expressed disappointment over President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to ensure the implementation of the N30,000 new national minimum wage very soon.

The AWC made its position known through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

‘’We the Nigerian workers are disappointed in Mr. President and we urge him to correct himself by ensuring that in the next seven days all the dust surrounding the payment of the new national minimum wage is settled, if actually he is serious with his promises. What we have been hearing from President Buhari is that very soon it shall become a reality. Workers are forced to ask how soon is very soon ?’’

‘’It should also be stated that how much is N30,000 that governments across the federation are expressing reluctance to pay, money that is not worth a living wage is what they are delaying. We the Nigerian workers can no longer trust Mr. President in the issue of the new minimum wage. He is playing on our collective intelligence, he is not ready to make workers smile’’, Comrade Emelieze lamented.

Zamafara state Governor, Bello Matawallen-Maradun has assured that his administration shall reabsorb  about 1,400 workers who were laid off by the immediate past Govermment in the state.

Governor Matawallen-Maradun gave this assurance on Wednesday in his speech, during the swearing-in and inauguration of the Governor and his deputy in the  state capital, Gusau.

“We are going to set up a committee to verify them and put them into the state core civil service, except those who secured another job,’’ the Governor stated.

The state Governor who noted that the workers were recruited in line with civil service rules  and regulations, said ''Therefore, this administration will reinstate them.”

After been owed 60 months salary arrears the workers, who  were recurited in 2014, were relieved of their appointments.

He also promised  to ensure meaningful development of the state, while calling on the people to join hands with his adminsitration to deliver on his electoral promises.

Workers of the National  Lottery Regulation Commission(NLRC) have insisted that the delibrate disregard of the provisions of the Public Service Rules by the Director General of the Commission and his refusal  to put in place conditions of service for the workers among several other issues prompted them to proceed on an indefinite sit-at-home industrial action.

This disclosure was made by the Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria(ASCSN)NLRC Unit, in Ibadan, Oyo state, Comrade Austin Oseiga, in a chat with Federationews2day.

''The union highlighted in the letters, series of violation of the Public Service Rules and unfair labour practices perpetrated by the DG of the National Lottery Regulation Commission, Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila, who has been running the Commission as his personal estate''.

''The Director General has refused to process staff conditions of service for approval. He has also refused to pay Duty Tour Allowances(DTA) to qualified officers who were invited to participate in the 2017 and 2018 promotion exercises and has continued to use a security agency to conduct staff audit against the provisions on Public Service Rules'' 

Comrade Oseiga also lamented that the Director General had abandoned staff who sustained serious injury while on official assignment, while stressing that he had embarked on an '' unwarranted incursion into the privacy of vulnerable members of staff through the vexatious installation of Close Circuit Television, right inside their offices, which is against global practices''.

''Most worrisome is the fact that the DG, has become more daring as he has gone ahead to enact and implement more anti-government and workers' policies. For example, the DG  has ordered members of staff of the Commission to submit their Curriculum Vitae and academic credentials for verification by a security outfit and that ''any staff that does not submit a copy of their Curriculm Vitae and academic qualifications will have their names removed from the Commission's payroll'', the workers concluded.

Indeed, watchers of the unfolding deveopment reveal that political appointees of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) have sysematically damaged the structure of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) in the last four years, perhaps, according to the watchers, in fulfillmnent of a sinister agenda.

Of seriuos concern, is the morale of workers in the country which has hit an all time low during the same period, as a result of the negative approach of the political appointees to administration in the affected MDAs.