Return 25percent salary cut or face wrath….NLC tells El-Rufai

Following the 25 percent workers’ salary-cut by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state on Wednesday rejected the move, condemning it in its entirety.

ROYAL NEWS reports that Governor El-Rufai had recently approved the reduction of salaries of senior civil servants in the State to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The labour union asked the state government to return the deduction or “face the wrath” of the union.

The state government had announced that it would deduct 25 per cent from salaries of civil servants receiving above N67,000 to provide palliatives for the vulnerable citizens affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.

However, the state NLC Chairman, Ayuba Suleiman, while addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Wednesday, urged the government to stop the 25 per cent deduction forthwith.

Suleiman said the deduction should be done with workers’ consent, saying anything other than that was unacceptable.

The NLC chairman said, “Sequel to the deductions of 25 per cent on the salary of all civil servants in Kaduna State, effective from April, 2020, labour in Kaduna State unequivocally rejects this deduction.

“This is because the Union was not consulted on the issue nor consented to the deduction.

“Article 8 of the International Labour Organization Protection of Wages Convention, 1949, (No.95) provides that deduction from wages shall be permitted only under conditions and to the extent prescribed by the National Laws or regulations or fixed by collective agreement or arbitration award.

“Labour in Kaduna State is not against the provision of palliatives to the poor to cushion the COVID19 lockdown from the salaries of civil servants in Kaduna State but wish to state that, it ought to be carried along, and such deductions or contributions should be made voluntary not compulsory.

“As responsible working groups who are conscious of the predicament of the average citizens of Kaduna state, we are disposed to committing much higher for the wellbeing of the less-privileged if the need be, and proper process is followed.

“In view of the above, Labour in Kaduna calls on the Kaduna state government to stop the 25 per cent deduction henceforth and should return the 25 per cent salary already deducted from the workers.

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“Failure to comply with the above will leave the labour in the state with no option than to explore other possible avenues within the purview of the law.”