Workers of New Nigerian Newspapers have cried out to Chairman of Northern States’ Governors Forum, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau state to pay the staff of the company their accumulated salaries and other benefits as they are dying.
Speaking in a press statement jointly signed by Comrade Friday Idoko, Funmi Aderinto, Usman Nasidi and Emmanuel Bello, Chairmen and Secretaries of the in-house Unions on behalf of hundreds of other workers, they beamoaned the slow pace of a process that was initiated in 2017 to sell assets of the company to pay off staff salary arrears and other benefits, following which many of them had died while awaiting the unpaid wages of over 100 months owed by Northern State Governors.
The statement revealed that some huge amount of money had been realised from sales of the company’s property, while urging the Plateau state governor to promptly order the disbursement of the money to workers of the company to alleviate their hardship.
The statement however, commended efforts of the Northern Governors for ensuring the payment of the company’s pensioners who worked under the Federal Government.
“The Joint Workers’ Union of New Nigerian Newspapers in its Congress held October 25 , 2022 is appealing to the Chairman of Northern State Governors Forum (NSGF), Simon Bako Lalong to expedite action on settlement of workers entitlements.
“The Joint Union comprising of members of Nigeria Union Of Journalists (NUJ) and National Union Of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Union Workers (NUPPPROW) New Nigerian Chapel expressed worries over workers’ plights due to non-payment of salaries for many years, resulting in depression and deaths of over 103 staff awaiting their entitlements.
“We are appealing to Governor Simon Lalong as a compassionate leader and chairman of Northern Governors to use his good office to put smiles on our faces and those of our families by ordering prompt payment from the available resources realized from sales of the company’s property.
“We have been through a lot of hardship; many of our compatriots have been ejected by their landlords, many could no longer pay their childrens’ school fees, many have died due to one form of ailment or the other as a result of economic bottlenecks.
“We have so much confidence in your effective leadership built on selflessness, passion to serve and commitment to welfare of your subjects. It is our collective conviction that our appeal will receive the attention it deserves,” the statement said.
