The Bayelsa State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced on Monday that it would continue with their strike over the non-payment of worker salaries since January 2016. Governor Seriake Dickson had on Sunday ordered the striking employees to resume work on Monday or be sacked.
Mr. Dickson, who said that the State had no funds due to dwindling revenue from the Federation Accounts, noted that he would invoke the “no work no pay rule.”
“The strike is unpatriotic; it is politically motivated and uncalled for. We have held several meetings with labor leaders and I have proposed many options to them, including paying 50 percent salary, but they rejected it and chose to go on strike.
“We have drawn the line and we give them till Monday, anyone that doesn’t show up should consider himself sacked, we shall send out a monitoring team, I will also go round myself,” Dickson said.
John Ndiomu, the Union’s State Chairman, said in Yenagoa on Monday that their strike, which commenced on May 19, would not be called-off until the government clear the backlog of salaries. It will be recalled that the organized labor in Bayelsa embarked on a strike over the non-payment of four months’ salary arrears of civil servants in the State.
“The strike is on it the third day, and we’re still on it; it is true that the State government has started the payment for January alone but we will continue to stay at home until the union reaches a decision.
“Our members should also remain calm; series of meetings have been going on with the government and we shall also be meeting today (Monday), but I am still urging our members to remain at home,” he said.
The State secretariat, however, remained shut while soldiers were stationed at the gates. Public schools and banks also remained closed, according to reports. It was gathered that Mr. Dickson was holding a meeting with Permanent Secretaries of all the ministries to fashion out a way to enforce the no work no pay rule.
