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The organised labour in Imo State has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to pay March 2019 salaries owed to state Civil servants and all the outstanding pension arrears. The organised labour in the state comprised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (PSNC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
        In a letter to the state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the workers said that all efforts to ensure that the state Accountant-General paid the March 2019 salaries had yielded no result. The letter jointly signed by the state chairman of the NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu, chairman of TUC, Comrade NkimTangban and chairman, JPSNC, Comrade Aloy Iwuanyanwu respectively, stated that the reasons advanced for not paying workers’ salaries were unacceptable to the Labour. According to them, the continuous delay in the payment of workers’ salaries and outstanding pension was unjustified since the state government had received both LGA allocations, 13 percent derivation fund, Ecological funds and internally generated fund. It expressed worry that workers may be observing Easter holidays without their salaries, stressing that no state in the North would deny its staff salary during Sallah celebrations.
        The letter read in part, “More worrisome also is the fact that we shall soon enter into the Easter session which the workers need this salary for. It is pertinent to point out that no state government in the North can deny its workers their salaries during Salah. It, therefore, expected that no state in this part of the country should deny its workers their salaries during such all-important celebrations as Easter. We cannot guarantee any industrial peace if the government fails to do the needful. Labour leaders in Imo State should not be held responsible for any outbreak of industrial unrest. Government should use the seven days given to her to pay the workers and pensioners, the Organised Labour stated.