NAN-H-94

Workers

By Chukwuemeka Opara

Abakaliki, Feb.21, 2016 (NAN) The Ebonyi Junior Workers Association has criticised the directive of the Ebonyi chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to workers to reject the contributory pension deductions from their February salaries.

The state government had last week, assented to Ebonyi Contributory Pension bill into law.

Mr Uchenna Uguru, Chairman of the association, told newsmen on Tuesday in Abakaliki that it was in full support of the pension scheme which was in the workers’ interest.

“The government intends to strengthen workers pension to guarantee their future after retirement and solve all problems associated with pension payment.

“We, therefore, urge workers to remain peaceful and law abiding and dissociate themselves from the desperation of some labour leaders propagating their personal agenda,” he said.

Uguru remarked that it was uncharitable for the Mr Ikechukwu Nwafor led-NLC to claim that Ebonyi workers were enslaved by the state government.

“We are among the few in the country who receive their salaries on or before the 18th of every month and without arrears.

“We also affirm that the Ebonyi government remains the only one in the country which pays 13th month salary to workers every year and graciously gave the workers, 5 per cent salary increment.

“We are also happy and willing to participate in the government’s agricultural programme designed for workers with the provision of soft loans for agricultural ventures,” he said.

Nwafor, the state NLC chairman had announced that workers would reject the pension deductions and resist any move by the government to enslave them.

An investigation by NAN showed that workers from grade levels 1 to 6 had N2, 000 deducted from their salaries while those on level 7 and above had N3,000 and above deducted from their salaries.

Mrs Euphemia Onyibe, a worker in the state, bemoaned the deduction, noting that it drastically affected her meagre earning.

The junior workers association was created during the 2015 salary payment altercation between the government and NLC and went underground when the matter was resolved. (NAN)

RCO/NNO/OFN
Edited by Felix Nwadioha