The desire of civil servants and retirees in Imo State to get regular payment from the State Government is taking another shape with the National Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC getting involved.
Recall that the Organized Labour had issued a 14-day Ultimatum to the State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma to pay their outstanding arrears of pensions and salaries or face their wrath.
Trumpeta has learnt that the coming in of the National NLC was predicated on alleged nonchalant attitude of the Uzodinma government to workers and pensioners welfare in Imo State.
It was gathered that at a meeting of the Organized Labour in Owerri this week, the NLC Chairman, Comrade Austin Chilakpu revealed that the National body had to be involved as it was discovered that many workers and pensioners in Imo were yet to be paid salaries since Uzodinma came into power yet the Government exists no worker is owed in Imo State.
Comrade Chilakpu was said to have further disclosed that a proposed meeting called by the State Government with the Labour for tomorrow (Friday) would be led by the national body of NLC stressing that failure of Government to meet the workers’ demand would lead to industrial strike in the State.
Trumpeta gathered from the Labour that there are other issues bothering the workers the State NLC is also demanding apart from non- payment of salaries and pensioners.
This newspaper further notes that what may have prompted the stand of the Labour could be the manner the State Government didn’t take into considerations the role of the NLC in taking stock of unpaid workers and pensioners which was forwarded to the State Government without any positive retaliatory action to pay the affected persons.
