NLC, TUC laments over alleged illegal deductions, issues 7-day ultimatum to Soludo to meet demands

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Anambra State, have given Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo a seven-day ultimatum to meet their demands or failure will result in downing tools.

The leaderships of the two union, in joint communique signed by comrades Humphrey Nwafor for NLC and Chris Ogbonna, (TUC) and made available to newsmen in Awka, gave the state government led by Prof. Charles Soludo a seven-day ultimatum to meet their demands.

They insisted that failure to address their demands may jeopardize the existing industrial peace and harmony in the state.

Among their demands includes; immediate dissolution of the Ndi-Olu microfinance board for allegedly engaging in inhuman and fraudulent activities.

According to them, the state government must set up a panel to investigate the activities of the bank whose sin, they said is not limited to monies deducted from workers’ salaries for recapitalisation but also non-remittance of shares to workers of the State.

The Unions Described the contributory pension scheme in the state as a scam, stressing that workers’ salaries are being deducted without counterpart remittance from the government.

They further called for the immediate suspension of the deductions and immediate refund of those monies deducted from workers’ salaries.

The Unions expressed disappointment at Soludo’s sudden removal of the N12,000 wage award to civil servants in the state when other governors were rooting for means to cushion the hunger brought by persisting economic hardship in the land.

Both unions urged the governor to consider providing palliative by granting an upward review of the removed wage award as well as sustaining the payment till the full implementation of the new minimum wage begins.

The communique reads in part: “The non-constitution of the Civil Service Commission and Judicial Service Commission amongst others was a deliberate act by the government to destabilise the system and stagnate workers from being promoted and having access to other entitlements. .

“Government should immediately constitute boards that are due for reconstitution to enable workers to have access to their rights and privileges”.

They called for the immediate appointment of permanent secretaries for the smooth running and administration of civil service,adding that non-appointment of permanent secretaries for two years and the use of 3 permanent secretaries in running the 22 MDAs were acts of insensitivity on the part of the government to the advancement of workers welfare and growth.e

The unions urged government to appoint a Special Adviser/ Commissioner for Labour and Productivity or the creation of a ministry in the state to oversee the affairs of labour unions and its activities.

They noted further that such ministry will advance and progress labour union activities in the state for the betterment of the workers.