Imo Workers spoil for war over salary deduction

Angry Imo state workers who are agitated over their alleged salary deductions by the state/labour joint committee set up by the state government to harmonize the crisis of the 70 percent state fund agreed to be disbursed as salary may be protesting in the streets to express their grievances.

The aggrieved workers it was also gathered had perfected plans to storm the Government House to demand the immediate dissolution of the Committee for allegedly tempering with the salaries of the workers as well as giving misleading information about the funds accrued to it.

According to some of the workers who pleaded anonymity, the Committee, which is headed by the State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu and a representative of the State government, Mr. Ikenna Emeh, has been slashing the salaries and other entitlements of the workers, without reasons.

They continued that since the Committee took over the payment the workers’ salaries after the agreement with the state government, the fate of the workers in the state, has taken a turn for the worse.

The workers therefore called for an urgent revisit of the agreement, the workers, observed that, “the 70% accruing to the Committee from all revenue sources in the state including the Federal Allocation, if judiciously and properly would be enough to pay pensioners who are yet to be paid since the agreement was reached.

“It is very disappointing that after compelling the state government to part with 70%, which left it with just 30%, those managing the resources cannot pay complete salary for even one month, as if that is not bad enough, they still want to be making illegal deductions from the little amount they are paying. This is unacceptable and we will rise up against it" the source said.

It will be recalled that the State Government and the national leadership of the NLC signed an Agreement on how the resources of the state will be shared after a massive protest that nearly shutdown the state.

It was agreed that the state government will retain just 30%, while the workers will have 70% for salaries and pension.

When contacted, a co chairman of the committee,Honourable Ikenna Emmeh denied the allegation,insisting that the committee does not have such powers to withdraw money let alone deduct salaries.

"You can go to the office of the accountant general to verify,it is not true,if its the Local Government workers whose salary has not been structured due to some lapses you are talking about I don't know" Emeh said.
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