Crisis looms as labour issues threat to governors

– The organised labour has asked governors who cannot pay workers’ salaries to resign from office immediately

– The TUC president, Comrade Boboi Kaigama, says the congress was determined continue to fight for the rights of workers without being cowed by anybody, no matter how highly placed

– Kaigama accuses governors of behaving in a reckless manner by refusing to pay salaries while their own families are enjoying the commonwealth of the people recklessly in foreign lands

The organised labour has threatened governors who are finding it difficult to pay workers’ salaries that it was prepared to make their states ungovernable.

According to the New Telegraph, the president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Boboi Kaigama, asked any governor who cannot pay workers’ salaries to resign from office immediately.

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The labour leader speaking in Abuja on Thursday, June 2, at the opening of 10th Delegates Conference of TUC, expressed concerns that some governors recently sought $3.2 billion from the World Bank after recently collecting bailouts from the federal government.

The TUC president said the congress was determined continue to fight for the right of workers without being cowed by anybody, no matter how highly placed.

He said: “It is a major cause for concern that some of our governors recently sought $3.2 billion 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.

“Although the law requires that workers be paid as and when due, several state governments owe as much as seven, eight and even nine months’ salaries of their workers, thus disobeying the law that they swore to obey to the letter.

“It is our candid position that any governor who cannot pay should resign immediately lest we make his state ungovernable for him. 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. “The fact of the matter is that most of our governors are wicked to say the least.

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“Otherwise they will not be behaving in a reckless manner where they refuse to pay salaries whereas their own families are enjoying the commonwealth of the people recklessly in foreign lands.”

Meanwhile in a related development, Governor Ayodele Fayose has asked workers in Ekiti who are on strike to call of their actions before they will be paid. 

The workers began on strike on Thursday, May 26, and this has brought Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, to a halt as government offices and public schools remained shut.

The governor stated that the salary for local government workers is ready for payment, while the little resources that have come to the state are ready for sharing.

He however said payment cannot be made because civil servants who are on strike have critical roles to play in the disbursement of the funds.

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