NUPENG Protests Mass Sacking By Kaduna Govt, Begins Strike On Monday

Following the recent decision of the Government of Kaduna State to layoff thousand of its workers, the Nigeria Union of Peteoleum and Natural Gas Workers, has directed its members to commence strike action from May 16.

The General Secretary, NUPENG, Afolabi Olawale, gave the directive in a letter addressed to the Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch of NUPENG in the state.

He stated that directive was in compliance with the Nigeria Labour Congress planned campaign against alleged anti-labour practices of the Kaduna state government

The Kaduna State Government had on April 6, disengaged about 4,000 public service workers in the state.

This, the government said, was due to dwindling financial resources and higher wage bill which it cannot sustain.

The Governor of the State, Nasiru El-Rufai had insisted that the government was not elected just to pay salaries of public servants alone, but to also develop the state by building schools, hospitals, upgrading infrastructure and making the State more secure and attractive to the private sector for jobs and investments.

El-Rufai had pointed out that what the Government had been receiving from the Federation Account Allocation Committee since the middle of 2020, like most other sub-nationals, can barely pay salaries and overheads.

He said that in the last six months, personnel costs have accounted for between 84.97 per cent and 96.63 per cent of FAAC transfers received by the Kaduna State Government.

While the State Government noted that the overall wages of the public sector are still relatively low, it said that the current levels are obviously limited by the resources available to the government.

The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, had while condemning the decision of the state government, hinted of a five-day strike for both public and private organisations in the state.

“It is going to be a total action because we believe that El-Rufai is not alone in this action; neo-liberal forces and some governments are also part of it,” he said.

The Congress noted that the withdrawal of service will be elongated if there is no remorse from the state government.

ENDS