18 Nigerian states to go on strike over unpaid salaries and pensions.

Whispers are that 18 out of 36 states in Nigeria will go on indefinite strike, come Monday, 25th of May, 2015 over unpaid salaries and pensions.

States involved are-Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers and Zamfara.

According to the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, the congress had sent
its task force team to various geo-political zones of the country and it was discovered that the above mentioned states either owed its workers’ salaries or/and pensions. Continue...

“The various Task Forces are working. Plateau is on strike, Cross Rivers is going on Monday; the various task forces are working. A team is leaving for Benue to commence action; they are now free to commence action and we are supporting them,” he said.

Abdulwaheed Omar,President Nigeria Labour Congress.

According to reports, Abia State alone had not paid salaries of workers of the State Teaching Hospital for nine months. The state is also said to be owing workers of the Hospital Management Board eight months’ salary; Abia State Universal Basic Education Board, six months; Abia State Polytechnic, five months; local government workers, four months; and teachers, three months’ salary arrears.

Though Enugu State had paid salaries of civil servants up to date, parastatals were owed 12 months’ salaries and pension and gratuity remain unpaid since 2010.

Others states owing are Osun State with six months’ salary and pension arrears; Plateau with six months salaries and seven months pension; Benue with five months salaries and four months pension arrears; Kogi with four months of pension and salary arrears; and Oyo which owes three months salaries and between five and 11 months of pension arrears.

Also among the states which are likely to owe salaries and pension of workers into the incoming administration on May 29 are Ekiti with three months of unpaid salaries.

Jigawa is owing judiciary workers a month salary arrears in 2015.

Ondo owes one month salary and pension, while Ogun is owing one month salary and 52 months of unremitted pension deductions to the Pension Fund Administration.

Although Zamfara State has paid workers’ salaries up to date, the salaries of workers who were recruited in 2014 have not been paid.

The NLC Task Force also stated that Rivers State owes one month of workers’ salaries and three months of pension while Kano has yet to pay newly employed teachers for three months.