Imo State government and the Labour Joint committee in the state have agreed to pay workers in the state 70 per cent of their January salary across board, with the remaining 30 per cent of the overhead cost for the month reserved for pension payment.
This was disclosed to newsmen by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Imo State chapter chairman, Comrade Austin Chalakpu, during a press briefing in Owerri. The labour leader stated that the 70 per cent of the gross revenue for the month of January stood at a a little over N3.373 billion.
Given the verified wage bill of salary and pension for the month, which stood at N5.3 billion, the committee said it was saddled with a differential of about N1.9 billion. Consequently, the committee said with the sum of over N3.373 billion for the payment of salary and pension due, it decided to deploy only 70 per cent of the sum to the payment of salary across board.
Chilakpu pointed out that labour did not review workers salary downward, but only did the needful with the resources available while hoping to pay up the balance when the state’s revenue improves. He stated that labour has mobilized and would be fully be involved in the payment of salaries to forestall cases of ghost workers getting salaries.
The state NLC chairman also revealed that labour has set up a committee of financial experts to fast track the issue of salary payment and improve on the financial state of the government regarding revenue generation. Fielding questions from newsmen, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical Matters, Mr. Ikenna Emeh, pointed out that the payment of salary was not fixed but a function of what was available.
He stressed that the committee was an adhoc committee and did not have the right to borrow money but only has the authority to apply 70 per cent of its share to the payment of salaries and pensions. Emeh emphasised that with the strategy being put in place by the 18-man committee, comprising labour and government, would meet up with their obligation of paying the workers their full emoluments.
He claimed that the revenue of the state has increased by 15 per cent in the last month as the IGR of the state rose from N215 million to N400million in the last month.
