The leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, has threatened to shut down airports across the country if governors owing civil servants salaries do not pay immediately.
Lucy Offiong, the National Vice- President of the NLC, stated this in Jos, Plateau State while leading a protest of the Plateau State chapter of the union over non-payment of salaries of members by the state government.
She said such a drastic measure had become imperative in order to compel governors to pay workers’ salaries in the affected states and alleviate their plight. Offiong said shutting down the airports would deprive the governors the luxury of travelling by air while their workers suffered.
“Governors who are among the most frequent users of airports may need to be deprived of the facilities so that they would be moved to give their workers their monthly wage,” she said.
Jibrin Bancir, Plateau State Chairman of NLC, said the union took its protest to the state House of Assembly because the Assembly, which passed the state budget with a provision for workers’ salaries, should be able to compel the state governor to pay.
“I don’t know what the House of Assembly members are doing to provide relief to civil servants whose children are out of school and who cannot afford to feed their families. So, we are here to let the House know what workers are going through and to ask the House to prevail upon the governor to fulfill his obligations to the workers, including the payment of their salaries and other outstanding entitlements,” Bancir said.
Plateau workers, who had been on strike since May 4, are being owed six months salary arrears.
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