NLC Borno urges Shettima to pay workers N20 billion outstanding arrears of salaries, pensions

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Borno state  has on Wednesday appealed to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state to pay the outstanding arrears of N20 billion the state government is  owing the state and local government council’s  pensioners in gratuity and pension before he leaves office on 29th May 2019..

The NLC Chairman Borno state, Comrade Titus Abana, who made the plea in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri also said that the last time gratuity of retirees was paid in the state, was in 2013 while pointing out that all efforts to impress on the state government to pay workers and pensioners  their entitlements on  time were truncated and  frustrated by some top government officials.

“In spite of the release of a tranche of the Paris Club Refund, the state government has not paid the backlog of gratuity and pension being owed retirees.

“We met with the governor to push for these payments and he promised to do so before he leaves.

“He said he will not want his predecessor to inherit any burden from his government and promised he will pay all arrears of pension, gratuities accumulated by his government and the past government.

“We are reminding him to also pay the backlog of promotion arrears and leave grant of workers which had been pending for more than three years due to the biometric verification.

“No worker has been paid any benefit in the last three years since the verification started,” Abana said.

The State NLC Chairman however noted that the exercise had exposed many workers to untold frustration and hardship.

“Many retirees have died untimely deaths due to frustration and hardship.” he said.

Abana further appealed to the governor to allocate the state government’s 1,000 estate, Legacy Housing Estate to the civil servant with a view  to cushion  accommodation problems of the state workforce and  safeworkers from threats of landlords.

The NLC Chairman however maintained  that workers expectations from  the new administration of Profeasor Babagana Umara Zulum was very high, stressing  that, workers hope that the new government will carry the civil servants along on board in  all its plans and policies in order  to succeed.

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