Help us fish out those padding salaries, ghost workers -Alex Otti to Abia NLC

Abia State Governor,Dr. Alex Otti, has tasked the Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC, to help identify those padding salaries in the government payroll and ghost workers in the state civil service.

Otti ,who made the appeal while receiving the State council of the NLC,noted that there are still bad eggs in the system who still engage in padding of salaries and other vices and urged the NLC to help identify such people who are stealing from the government.

The Governor stated that he has been creating conducive atmosphere for survival of the citizens as well as bringing back companies that left the State due to infrastructural decay.

He said; “There are a lot of people who are collecting salaries but are not coming to work. My challenge to NLC is to help us, what they (ghost workers) are doing, they are stealing from you. It is very important you take it as responsibility.

“My administration may not be sharing money as was the case in the past, but is busy creating conducive atmosphere for survival of every Abian as well as bring back all companies that left the State due to infrastructural decay.”

The Governor assured that his administration is looking at the issue of N35,000 wage award approved by the federal government for workers with a view to implementing it.

He disclosed that a committee has been set up on the matter and has submitted its first report.

Otti,however, stated that he directed the Committee to deepen its work and report to him, stressing that he has directed the Commissioner for Finance to look at the discriminatory salary structure for health workers in the state as it concerns the issue of consolidated health salary structure,CONHESS.

He pledged that his administration will critically look into arrears of salaries owed by the past administrations to Abia workers in various Ministries, Departments and Agencies and parastatals of the government, such as ABSUTH, ASUBEB, ASCETA, Abiapoly, primary school teachers,among others.

He also stated that a team is working with the Nigerian Union of Pensioners to reach a resolution on how to defray the pension arrears owed pensioners in the state.

Earlier, the State Chairman Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC,Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro,urged the Governor to consider implementing the N35,000 wage bill approved for workers by the federal government, address the high-handedness of some government appointees against civil servants, offset arrears of salaries ranging from 3-30 months owed various categories of workers by the previous administrations.

He also drew the attention of the Governor to the verification of workers issue that has denied some workers their salaries for about 7 months, alleged victimization of workers by Valumbra Flour mills, Aba,amongst other issues.

He also lauded Otti for keeping to his promise of paying salaries to Abia workers on 28th of every month and urged him to see workers as integral part of his administration.

He said; “You are doing well and every Abian is happy. Things are happening. It shows that we did not make mistake when we said we want change.”