Go on strike at your peril, Government tells workers

Concerned by the calls by the Organized Labour in Kogi State directive to Civil Servants to go on indefinite strike action due to press home their demands that bother on disagreeable aspects emanating from the ongoing staff screening and verification exercise among others, government has warned workers against embarking on any industrial exercise. The state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Hon. Mohammed Awwal Imam, who made the warning while briefing journalists in Lokoja, called on the state workforce not to allow themselves to be used by some unpatriotic individuals, looking for ways to get back at government. He said a statement contained in a bulletin released by the State Branch of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress, directing Civil Servants to commence strike action with effect from Monday, 27th June 2016, was an attempt to sabotage government efforts. Hon Lawal stressed that considering the fact that payment of arrears of salaries had commenced two weeks ago, with 48 Ministries Departments and Agencies out of the total of 55 being paid, with only sevenof them yet to be attended to, he expected the unions to show understnaidng. He gave a reason for the nonpayment to include inability to verify the correct grade levels of the workers, saying that salary variations were received from many MDAs for the month of February to April 2016. The commissioner informed the people of the state that 14 Local Government Areas staff with correct information have been paid, while work is in advance stage for the payment of both Local Government Areas and State Pensioners. He called on Civil Servants to think deep and join forces with the Government in order to develop the state, saying that the governor also implores them to disregard falsehoods from persons trying to hinder the development of the State for their personal and other reasons. Hon Lawal therefore enjoined all genuine Civil Servants in the State to go about their normal work schedule and contribute their quota towards building a new Kogi State in the new direction of the Administration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello.