The Jigawa state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected a N10,000 wage award offer to the civil servants in the state by the state’s government.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the chairmen and secretaries of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Public Service Negotiation Council after an emergency meeting in Dutse.
The statement indicated that the state government has violated the agreement reached during the negotiation between the organised labour and the state government.
According to the statement, the organised labour in the state have not signed any agreement or memorandum of understanding with the state government to award N10,000 as salary award to civil servants for three months.
The statement further stated that “Organised labour noted with dismay that the government statement was a total misrepresentation of the earlier agreement reached between the state government’s committee and the labour union on the issue”.
“Under the agreement the state government will pay all civil servants the sum of ten thousand naira only as salary award for six months, beginning from October 2023 to March 2024 when the new minimum wage for workers is expected to take course”.
“Also the agreement seeks for the grant of Agricultural loan to interested civil servants as well as provision of other palliatives including allocation of food items through the state emergency management agency for distribution to workers unions”. Â
The labour union maintained that there was no signed agreement; the state government went ahead and announced a wage award of N10,000 for three months only.Â
“We requested six months wage award, foodstuffs palliative, agricultural loan for interesting civil servants”, asking what of the remaining? They asked.
The organised labour was reacting to an earlier statement made by the Jigawa state government at the end of the state executive council meeting that the government has approved the payment of ten thousand naira each to civil servants for three months as palliative.