The United Labour Congress of Nigeria (ULC) has issued a two-week ultimatum to the State Governments to settle all outstanding salary or face indefinite industrial actions.
According to a communique by the Central Working Committee (CWC) signed by the National President of ULC, Comrade Joe Ajaero and made available to the Tribune Online on Tuesday, the union demanded for immediate payment of all the arrears of salaries owed Nigerian workers at all levels of government without exception.
“We observed with deep angst that despite collecting huge bail-out funds from the Federal Government and the Paris club debt refund, many state Governors have refused to pay workers’ salaries. We view this as fraudulent. You cannot use the name of Nigerian workers to collect money and then divert it to other uses that is obtaining by tricks and is still punishable under code 419 of the law of the federation,” it said.
It demanded that the Federal Government honours its 2009 agreement with University Lecturers under the umbrella of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Furthermore, it stated that all roads leading to all the Petroleum refineries and Depots nation-wide be repaired by the Government to avoid the present carnage of lives, wastage of products and properties on these roads.
Other demand includes discontinuance of the proposed Bill at the National Assembly seeking to control free speech, the withholding of registration certificate of the ULC be stopped and the certificate released forthwith so that the nation’s Industrial Relations clime will be made more inclusive and robust.
And the immediate inauguration of the national minimum wage committee.
It concluded that “if these demands are not met within two weeks of this date, the ULC shall embark on Industrial actions that would force Government to correct itself and respect the interests of workers and the citizenry.”
and then