TUC to debtor governors: Pay salaries or resign

Concerned over the insolvency of most of the state governors who are yet to pay workers’ salaries, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has charged the affected governors to pay up their salaries or put in their resignation.

President of the Congress, Bobboi Bala Kaigama gave the matching orders to state governors while speaking at the 10th Triennial Delegates Conference of the Congress in Abuja on Thursday.

“It is a major cause for concern that some of our governors recently sought $3.2bn from the World Bank after recently collecting bailouts from the Federal Government. We are surprised at their behaviour especially as they claim to be on the side of the masses and workers,” he said.

“Is it not an irony for a governor who spends over N18,000 per month to fend for his dog to claim that he cannot pay same to his worker?  The governors should realise that governance is about thinking out of the box, and the test of our progress as a country is not whether they add more to their personal abundance but whether they provide effectively for the have-nots in the society.

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“Our economic indicators are in a sorry state and the economy upside down because the system has not allowed the right kind of people to emerge. Our political elites use our collective wealth to build private universities and other academic institutions while the public ones are under-funded.”

He said further that there was a dire need for a vibrant and experienced economic team made up of technocrats who will critically analyse the present economic challenges facing the nation and proffer lasting solutions that would ensure that Nigeria become an egalitarian society.

According to him, part of the job of the economic team will also include the building of an economy that creates decent jobs, curbs corruption at all levels and addresses galloping inflation, etc

The TUC President drew the attention of government to what he described as outstanding labour issues yet to be resolved in the federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), saying leaving the issues unresolved may lead to unnecessary labour dispute within the public service.

 

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