Labour declares 1-week strike in Benue

The Benue State’s chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Thursday declared a one-week warning strike to begin on Tuesday, September 5. Governor Samuel Ortom had on Tuesday pleaded with labour leaders to shelve the strike as his administration was doing everything to pay the workers their salaries. […]

The Benue State’s chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Thursday declared a one-week warning strike to begin on Tuesday, September 5.

Governor Samuel Ortom had on Tuesday pleaded with labour leaders to shelve the strike as his administration was doing everything to pay the workers their salaries.

But, the labour unions after their joint meeting held in Makurdi on Thursday insisted that they would inevitably embarked on the exercise from Tuesday and end on September 13.

In a communiqué signed by the NLC Chairman, Godwin Anya and his TUC counterpart, Tordue Tartenger, the union observed that: "The statutory allocation from the federation account has not stopped coming to the state, not to mention the IGR, the supplementary support coming from the federal government under various sub-head namely; Bailout fund, Paris club and Stabilisation refund among others,"

The labour union had earlier this month on August 4, asked the state government to clear all salaries owed state workers or they would embark on industrial action beginning from September 1.

But, Ortom after a closed door meeting with the labour leaders on Tuesday at the Government House in Makurdi, told newsmen that he had appealed to them for more time as his administration was not resting on its oars in making necessary move to offset unpaid salaries.