The Organised Labour in Kogi state has given Governor Yahaya Bello his biggest electoral boost, 15 days to the governorship election by endorsing the way he spent the Paris Club refund and the bailout fund of N30.8billion.
In a statement signed by the State chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Onuh Edoka, and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) chairman, Mr Ranti Ojo, the labour leaders said they were satisfied with the governor.
Labour said the funds were disbursed in accordance with provisions of the collective agreements between it and the State Government, which placed priority on payment of salaries and pensions above all other competing demands.
Labour declared the current standing of the salary situation in the state saying, “As at today, the general position is that most workers have been paid up to October, 2019, at state level.
It however noted that Local Government staff, primary school teachers and pensioners were still expecting their October 2019 salary and pension.
“We also wish to acknowledge the early payment of salary/pension in recent times.
”It is our hope that this gesture of prompt payment of salary will continue even after the November 16”, Governorship election.
“It is however important to remind the government that many workers still have arrears in their payment history due to issues arising from the screening, which threw them out of the workforce.
“We call on the Governor who granted clemency to some categories of workers, to urgently find a means of paying them the months that their salaries were withheld while they were sorting themselves out and updating their records”, it said..
The organised Labour also declared Gov. Yahaya Bello’s Staff Screening and Verification Exercise as necessary, though it brought untold hardship on the workers in its wake.
“After in-depth analysis of the entire process up till this moment, we also agree that many components of the Civil Service and Pensions Reforms undertaken by this administration were not only necessary, but vitally important to the building of an efficient, effective and virile Civil Service”, it added.
The leadership of Labour, while acknowledging the improvement on the percentage payment to Local Government staff, urge the Governor to restore 100 per cent salaries payment to Council workers.
