Railway workers petition Presidency over NRC staff quarters

Workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) under the aegis of the National Union of Railway (NUR) workers and the Senior Staff Association (SSA), NRC branch have petitioned the Presidency over the refusal of the management of the corporation to accede to a court judgement on the monetization of staff quarters.

According to the petition with reference number NUR-SSA/225/Vol.I/77 dated 14th of October, 2016 and signed by the Secretary General of the NUR, Comrade Segun Esan and the Secretary General of the SSA, Comrade Romanus Emezie over the weekend; the railway workers accused the management of the NRC of deliberately flouting the court judgement obtained by the union on the corporations properties.

According to the petition which was headlined: Monetisation of staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation: Federal Government policy left unimplemented, the workers stated that, “We are constrained to bring to the attention of your Excellency the injustice and silence of the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation as concerned the full and unreserved implementation of the federal government’s subsisting policy on Monetization of fringe benefits of public servants and political office holders which came up in June 2003 and became effective from 1st July, 2005.

“The management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation lost the political will to implement the aspect of staff quarter monetization but gladly and hurriedly implemented the monetisation of furniture allowance, leave grants, meal subsidy, motor vehicle loans, and indeed the aspect of consolidated salary structure which, in conformity with the monetisation policy, was to be the last level of implementation of the policy.

“The monetization of staff quarters was left un-implemented by the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation from 2005 effective date until we went to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in 2011 to challenge the injustice. The case was adjudicated over for five years and on Wednesday, 6th January, 2016 the Nigerian Railway workers were vindicated: the case ended in favour of the Union and its members.

“Your Excellency, as a responsible Union with flair for due diligence and respect for the rule of law, we waited patiently to the logical end of the case for five years. We are, however, held in thrall that, almost a year after the case has been decided, the management of Nigerian Railway still could not implement the policy as concerned the staff quarters.”

We attach a certified true copy of the judgment (i.e. Suit No NICN/LA/11/2012 BTW NUR & ANOR Vs NRC & ORS) with this letter for your kind perusal.”