Recession: Niger gov’t can’t pay 100% salaries - SSG
The Niger State government has said that the reduction in the federal allocation coming to the state has made it impossible to pay 100 percent salary to its workforce.
Daily Trust learnt that the organised labour had kicked against the purported plan to pay 70 percent for November salary of civil servants across the board.
The Secretary to the Niger State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, who disagreed with what organised labour in the state tagged as salary slash, said it was not a slash in the salary of workers but the inability of the government to pay 100 percent salary to workers in the state.
Alhaji Matane explained that the federal allocation had dropped to a level where the state government can no longer pay 100 percent salaries because of the recession.
“There is no talk about slash in the salaries of civil servants. What we have discussed with the organised labour is that because of the recession, our FAAC allocation has dropped to a level where we won't be able to pay 100 percent of the salary.
“We called their attention to this, we opened our books in terms of how much we received, the existing commitments and what is left over,” he said.
Matane confirmed that a meeting with the organised labour to take certain positions would be held today (Thursday).
The organised labour and all the affiliated unions during the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting held in Minna unanimously agreed that anything less than 100 percent of workers salary will not be accepted.
They gave the state government an ultimatum till the end of November to conform to the payment of full salaries to workers or risk indefinite strike action.
The state Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Inusa Tanimu, who spoke with our correspondent, explained that the organised labour was yet to take a stand regarding the industrial action.
Meanwhile, one of the APC chieftains in Niger State, Mr Jonathan Vatsa, has advised Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to slash the salaries and allowances of political office holders in the state to enable the government to cope with the present economic realities.
Vatsa who is a former commissioner for information, culture, and tourism in the state said the only option left for the government at all levels now is “a holistic structural adjustment”.