Arrears: Abia workers vow indefinite strike

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Arrears: Abia workers vow indefinite strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress in Abia State says it has concluded plans to commence an indefinite strike on Tuesday over backlog of unpaid salaries and pensions by the outgoing administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

The NLC Chairman, Abia State, Pascal Nweke, while speaking to newsmen on Monday, said, “By midnight, Abia workers will begin an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries and pensions.”

Iheme said though the NLC met with the state government and they signed an agreement, “after that, nothing was done. We later wrote them again.”

He added that, “They invited me and our secretary and explained that they had problems with their banks. We gave them time to solve their bank problems but nothing happened.

“Last week, to our surprise, the state government embarked on discriminatory salary payment by paying the local government staff their March salaries, whereas, others are owed more than 36 months’ salaries.”

The NLC chairman had in his speech during the 2023 Workers’ Day celebration in Umuahia, said the state government owed senior secondary schoolteachers 28 months’ salary, among others.

Iheme said, “We will wait to see what they will do before passing the bulk of the debt to the next administration in the state. By 12am, the indefinite strike will begin.”

He called on workers to be ready for the strike “untill we achieve our aim.”

However, the Head of Service, Onyii Wamah, called for dialogue.

Efforts to reach the Secretary to the State Government, Chris Ezem, proved abortive as calls to his mobile line did not go through.