NLC backs 'No pay, no work'

NLC President - Wabba Ayuba

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) explained that all its state branches where salary liabilities of up to three months exist will enforce no pay, no work’ policy

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) informed that the Union’s national president Comrade Ayuba Wabba, revealed this when he featured on a programme on Sunday, August 21 at Abuja, FCT. In his words, Wabba stated: “We have given instructions to all of our state councils that where there is liability of salary up to three months, they should also apply the rule of ‘no pay, no work’ it is not only no work, no pay.’ “You can also apply the rule in a reverse order of ‘no pay, no work’ and that is legitimate because the law provides that after 30 days of working, the worker is entitled to be paid.

“How can we encourage people that have put in their best or even those that are still in the system trying to put in their best without addressing this very fundamental issue? “Those are the situations we have found ourselves across states and across different employments. I feel very sad with that situation but I think we will do all we can within our means and power to try to continue to protect all those workers.” The NLC president said workers must be seen as an asset to the nation rather putting all the blames on the workers.

Wabba continued further saying “the challenges have been there. Instead of looking inward to try to address these challenges, the bulk of the issues have been shifted to the workers and that is why I think that you can effectively say that yes these workers are under attack.”

The labour leader said the Union held a meeting with the state chpaters, where they evaluated the liability of pension, gratuity and salaries, while stating that the statistics was frightening. Wabba stated: “When you see the data of how much it stands today of liabilities that workers have not been paid, the worst is that of gratuity which some states have a liability of up to 10 years. “Workers have worked for 30 or 35 years in service; they retired following the normal process but yet after retirement, they were not paid a dime. “Therefore, it is like they were slaves; It is only slave that will work and not be paid his entitlement.”

 The labour body president raised an alarm over a situation where the political elites did not see the offsetting workers’ remuneration as necessary but as waste. The comrade observed that some state governors gave preference to give out white elephant contracts instead of paying the salaries of civil servants. Wabba stressed that there is nowhere on the planet where workers were seen and placed appropriately for them to contribute their quota. The NLC president stated that because have been forgotten as well as not paying their wages, productivity has been at the lowest ebb.