Salary deduction: Workers unions issue Kano govt. 7 days ultimatum

Organised Labour has issued a 7-day ultimatum to the Kano state government to refund and stop what they described as “illegal deduction” from civil servant salaries starting from the month of March or prepare for a showdown.

Besides, the labour leaders insisted that failure of the government to stop the “unexplained” deduction before the end of its ultimatum, which begins on Tuesday 6 of April 2021 workers would embark on three days warning strike from midnight of Wednesday 7, April.

Addressing journalists after an emergency meeting of the state executive council (SEC) in Kano, state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kabiru Ado Minjibir expressed disappointment over the action of the state government, which he declared a clear violation of the agreement on the new minimum wage law of 2019.

Read Also: Again, labour unions, Kano govt committee meeting over planned workers salary deduction end in deadlock

The communiqué released after the congress and made available to Solacebace  “Labour rejected in its entirety the illegal and illogical deduction from workers’ salaries and pensioners allowance.

Solacebase reports that organized labour gave the state government 11 demands to meet before embarking on workers salary deduction that includes seeing the government book of accounts, the total workforce of public servants (both state and local government), actual total wage bills for state workers (both state and local government), the number of political office holders ( both state and local governments)and total wage bill for political office holders( State and local government).

Also, other demands include, the shortfall of salary payment for March 2021, Nov. and Dec. 2020 and January 2021 state deduction, Nov. and Dec. 2020 and January 2021 state and local government pensions deductions, that refund of deductions from March 2021, salaries should be with a time frame (within 3 months April to June 2021) by Kano State Government and payment of pending 8 months salary arrears and the balance of two months 50% deducted should be paid within 6 months from May-November, 2021 and deduction must cut across all workers including political office holders and all permanent secretaries.

However, the state government team said it does not have the mandate to meet the demands of the workers’ unions in all their meetings.

Solacebase had reported that several times, labour unions and Kano government committee meeting over planned workers salary deduction ended in deadlock.