Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has succumbed to pressures of the Joint Negotiation Council, JCN, over the state’s recent unilateral deductions of workers’ salaries and pensions.
After hours of meetings with the JCN, the governor agreed to repay all deducted workers’ salaries and pensions in the state.
The agreement arrived at by both parties may have neutralised the threat of industrial action and litigation already instituted against the government by the state’s NLC.
Recall that the joint Labour unions had issued a threat notice to the Kano State government to stop further deduction of workers’ salaries and pensioners’ monthly allowance or be prepared to face industrial action.
Speaking with newsmen after the meeting between the JNC and the state government, Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Kano, Comrade Kabiru Ado Mingibir, disclosed that three resolutions were arrived at in the end.
Mingibir said the state government and the JNC agreed that workers will be returned to the minimum wage of N30,600 as pledged and no further deduction will take place henceforth.
He also said the emergency meeting was held at the instance of the Secretary to the State Government, Alh. Usman Alhaji, and representatives of NLC, TUC, and other interest groups.
According to Mingibir, ” the government has agreed to stop deduction of workers salaries and pensioners take home henceforth. Government has also agreed to return to the minimum wage of N30,600 and pledged to begin from January’s salaries since the FAC allocation is now improved.
“The last resolution is that the government will not cut deduction workers salaries henceforth without prior notice or consultation with labour unions and necessary stakeholders. That means, if there is a reduction in FAC allocation, there will be agreement on modalities on payment. We have warned the government to stop and not to reflect any deduction by January salary and with the pledge we hope no industrial action holds.”
Recall that the state government had returned to the old minimum wage of N18,000, which affected workers November and December 2020 salaries.
It recently explained that the deduction was necessary due to shortfalls in the monthly Federal allocation and a drastic reduction in the State Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Ganduje bows to pressure, promises to repay deducted salaries
