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Workers in Niger commence sit-at-home over salary cut
Primary school teachers, Medical and Allied Workers and Local Government workers in Chanchaga and Paikoro Local Government Areas in Niger have begun a sit at home action over salary cut.
According to a report by NAN, the partial implementation of the autonomy for local governments in the state, the two local governments have not been able to pay 100 per cent salaries to their workers.
In Chanchaga local government, workers were paid 36 per cent of their salaries for the month of July after getting 38 per cent in June this year.
The Paikoro local government workers got 66 per cent of their monthly salaries for the months of July and August this year.
As a result of the development, the workers embarked on a sit at home action.
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They said that they would return to work when their local government councils pay their full salaries.
Meanwhile, the action of the workers has led to the closure of primary schools and primary health care facilities in the two local governments, making the pupils to stay at home and the sick seeking alternatives for their treatment.
Reacting, Mr Akayago Mohammed, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state, confirmed the action of the workers.
“It is a joint action by all workers, NUT, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and Non- Academic Workers who are victims of circumstance,” he said.
Mohammed said the mother unions is in support of the workers because there was no clause for percentage payment in their letters of employment as currently implemented by the local governments.
“All we are saying is that the local governments should give us what was agreed upon when our members were employed,” he said.
Also, Mr Idrees Lafene, NULGE president in the state, urged the affected local governments to improve their Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs) to enable them meet their financial obligations to workers in their areas.
