NLC tackles Abia govt over alleged endless verification of workers
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Abia State Chapter, has berated the state government over what it described as the endless verification of workers and putting them to more suffering.
The state government had in a circular by the Head of Service, Dr. Ngozi Obioma, directed workers across ministries, parastatals, and the 17 council areas of the state to submit themselves to online verification, from May 10 to May 31, 2024.
Piqued by the directive, the NLC directed the workers not to submit themselves to another round of verification until issues surrounding the planned exercise are ironed out by the government and labour officials.
In a statement by the NLC chairman and Secretary, Okoro Ogbonnaya and Emma Alozie respectively, at the end of its emergency meeting in Umuahia, the labour union queried the rationale behind subjecting workers to another round of verification at a time many have not been able to collect their salaries up to seven months due to hiccups arising from previous verification exercises carried out by the state government.
The NLC accused the government of insensitivity to the plight of the workers and a lack of disregard for labour in the state.
The labour union also faulted the decision of the state government to conduct such a sensitive exercise as verification without consulting the labour union in the state.
“While it perceives earlier exercises as designed to fish out ghost workers, the latest move coming just a few months after the last verification is ill-conceived and anti-workers, particularly in the face of the current harsh economic situation in the country,” the NLC said.
