Imo workers forfeit 30% of salary over cash crunch

Workers in Imo State have forfeited 30% of their salaries for the month of January. This cuts across civil servants and political office holders.

The decision for the pay cut was reached by the 18-man joint committee comprising state government officials and labour leaders in the state.

The committee unanimously agreed to pay only 70 per cent of workers’ salary across board, while making reservations for pension.

This was disclosed by the state chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu, at a press conference in Owerri on Wednesday.

“The 70 per cent of the gross revenue for the month of January 2016 is N3,373,826,736.67. Given that the verified wage bill and pension for the month stood at N5.3 billion, the committee is saddled with a differential of about N1.9 billion”, Chilakpu said.

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He further explained that the committee have, in the application of the N3,373,826,736.67 to the settlement of salary and pension due to the workers and pensioners, decided to pay salary earners in the state 70 per cent of their salary across board.

The labour however said that organized labour was not spearheading a downward review of workers salary but only doing the needful with the resources available and hoping to pay up the balances when revenue improves.

Throwing more light on the development, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical Issues, Mr. Ikenna Emeh, said the 70% payment was not fixed but only a matter of what is available.

“The committee is an ad hoc arrangement and so does not have the right to borrow money. It only has the authority to apply 70 percent of its share to the payment of salaries and pensions”, Emeh said.

 

 

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