The organized labour in Niger State has accused the state government of excluding the civil servants and pensioners from the N5 billion palliative for fuel subsidy removal.
Recall that Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago on Friday announced that the distribution of over a N3 billion palliative across the state would begin on Wednesday.
The state Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) chairman, Idrees Abdulkareem Lafene, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Ibrahim Gana, at a joint emergency press conference in Minna yesterday rejected the N110 million announced by the governor as a palliative for industrial unions.
Lafene said the exclusion of pensioners and civil servants had fuelled tension and anger among workers.
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The unions accused the governor of breaching the agreement earlier reached that civil servants and retirees would also benefit from the palliative where N50,000 was agreed to be paid directly to each account.
They directed all civil servants and pensioners across the state to boycott the distribution committee, demanding that N50,000 be paid directly to accounts of each of the civil servants and retirees in the state for six months while PAYEE be suspended until further review of minimum wage.
The unions demanded immediate implementation of outstanding promotion and annual increments for eligible workers as well as implementation of consequential adjustment and other allowances.
Kaduna grants full CONMESS to doctors, to recruit 89 From Mohammed Ibrahim Yaba, Kaduna
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has approved the full implementation of the 2014 Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) for resident doctors.
He disclosed this Sunday night during a media chat marking his first 100 days in office.
The governor through his Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Lawal Shehu, stated that negotiations held in August 2023 revealed that resident doctors in the state Ministry of Health received only 75% of the 2014 CONMESS, while their counterparts at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital received the full 100% of CONMESS.
“Starting from September 2023, the approved 100% CONMESS will bring resident doctors in the Ministry of Health at parity with their counterparts at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital,” he said.
The governor also announced the approval of the continuation of the recruitment of 89 medical doctors to address the staff gap identified in 2017 as recommended by the committee.
He said the initiative was aimed to enhance doctors’ morale and improve access to quality healthcare for Kaduna residents.
The governor also inaugurated five state-of-the-art mobile medical trucks to provide crucial medical services to hard-to-reach communities within the state.
He explained that the mobile diagnostic units would offer various services, including maternal, newborn, and child health interventions, radiology services, and laboratory diagnosis for ailments such as malaria, HIV, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and more.
