The Nigeria Labour Congress, Kano Chapter, and other affiliated associations have failed to reach a compromise with the Kano State Government on the mode of payment for the state’s civil servants February salary.
The Chairman Nigeria Labour Congress NLC Kano Chapter Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir stated this while briefing journalists in Kano.
He said the State government was struggling to pay its workforce the February salary due to the deduction of FAAC Allocation to the States.
Comrade Minjibir maintained that NLC was invited for a meeting with the State Government on Tuesday through the State’s Head of Civil Service and were informed by the head of Service, Barrister Binta Ahmad that the state governments would not be able to pay the 30,000 minimum wage as a result of funds received from FAAC Allocation.
“We were invited for a meeting with the State Government on Tuesday through the State’s Head of Civil Service and we were informed by the head of Service, Barrister Binta Ahmad that the state government’s would not be able to pay the 30,000 minimum wage as a result of funds received from FAAC Allocation”.
He said after a meeting between his Congress, and other relevant stakeholders such as TUC JNC, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, and the State Head of Service presided over by Barr. Binta Ahmad, the Kano State Government revealed that it would not be able to pay the 30,000 minimum wage for February due to a drop in allocation and as a result, propose to use the April 2021 salary template where some percentage was deducted from state workers while Local Government workers were paid the 18,000 minimum wage.
According to him, Binta revealed that ” the sum of five hundred and fourtyfour billion naira (N500,44,000,000, 000) was distributed across the states of the federation for the Month of January 2022 as against the six hundred and ninety nine billion naira (N699,000,000, 000) distributed for the month of December 2021henve, the resort to pay workers April 2021 salary”.
“We went back to the government with three recommendations which include; first of all, the state should go ahead and pay the April 2021 salary but with an agreement signed by both parties that the difference should be paid to the workers along the March 2022 salary if the FAAC allocation reach N700billion”
” Secondly, we recommended that a joint committee between the State Government and the Labour should be set up to go for fact finding from neighbouring states like Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi and Sokoto to find out how they cope to augment the payment of salary even when there is low distribution of FAAC allocation across the country because we never hear from these states that workers’ salary are reduced based on reduction in allocation.”
“Thirdly, that government intensify efforts on the internally generated revenue and try to avoid all leakages so that, that surplus could be used to augment whatever deficit in the payment of salary henceforth and the government should also imbibe the culture of saving such savings could help in situation like this and in payment of pension.”
“But at last They agreed with the second and third recommendations but refused to accept the first one which stated that the deducted amount from workers salary be paid subsequently since the FAAC too will not remburse them. “
Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir added that NLC and all leaders of other unions in the State disassociate themselves from this decision, and have alerted the national body and called on all workers to remain calm while they await further directives.
Abdullahi Jalaluddeen
