UNPAID SALARIES: We are broke, FG tells labour leaders

The leadership of the Senate, on Monday evening, met with Ministers of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, her Labour and Productivity counterpart, Senator Chris Ngige to find ways of addressing the issue of huge salary arrears owed federal workers.

During the meeting, the representatives of the Federal Government said it has no money to pay arrears for now.

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Ayuba Wabba, who was also at the meeting, listed fresh challenges to the new minimum wage.

According to him, they include the task of amending existing laws as well as that of budgetary provision.

Senate President Bukola Saraki, who presided over the closed door meeting along with House of Representatives’ Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, were said to have urged stakeholders to brainstorm on how to arrive at a workable solution to the problems.

Briefing newsmen immediately after the meeting, Ngige disclosed that the major obstacle is that government lacks sufficient funds to pay the arrears.

He said: “We are here to discuss issues relating to things that are meant for industrial disharmony in the public sector. As you are aware the labour federations have said the governors have not been treating them well. One of the cardinal issues of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is to give our workers decent jobs and we decided to discuss with them.

“Its a tripartite negotiations. What we are doing here is tripartite plus because we have involved the National Assembly and when you do any such negotiations it is plus. We looked at the issues of salaries arrears, promotion arrears, debt benefits, location expenses and transfer allowances which overtime have accumulated and had ran into billions and this is what are owed to federal public servant and we started the meeting today to find a solution.

“So we make progress today and we have adjourned to reconvene tomorrow at 4pm; all sides are to go back and come back tomorrow with possible solution to the identified issues which is that government doesn’t have enough fund for now to tackle the issues. So tomorrow we convey here and sort it out.”

In his own comments, Wabba, said: “We have discussed issues bothering on arrears of allowances which have accumulated for some time and running into billions, which they have not paid.

“Also, alongside is the issue of pension particularly the issue of bonds and the fact that some of the contributions by workers have not been remitted for time. Those are some of the issues that we thought the National Assembly has led the process to bring all stakeholders on board and look at how these issues can be resolved in a win-win situation without allowing the industrial relation process to break up.”

He hinted that the challenges facing the demand for new minimum wage included the issue of amendment to laws, and budgetary provisions.

He said: “Those are the totality of issues we are actually working on and it is a holistic process which you know that the processes require laws; they also require some budgetary provisions.”

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