LGC CHAIRMEN HAVE ACCEPTED TO PAY THE N30,000 MINIMUM WAGE

 

...LGC WORKERS MUST IMPROVE IGR-IZAM, HOS

As a follow up to the directive to Plateau State Civil Servants to report to duty immediately after securing the State Secretariat, the Managing Editor of the NewsGate Magazine engaged the Head of Service, Mr Izam Atang Azi mni on the level of compliance and he spoke on a number of issues to throw more light on the misconception and misinformation from his earlier statements. 

Enjoy the Excerpts:

NewsGate Magazine:We discovered that workers of Jos South LGC were protesting on the  highway and blocked the LG Secretariat gate,can you give a little word to the people and the workers?

Mr Izam Atang Azi: Some workers easily misunderstand any  statement we make.They misinterpreted the whole thing we said,even the thing about the  levels Zero One to Zero Six,so I had to explain to them.We told them the principles behind the minimum wage,which is that, no one is to receive less than N30,000 as salary. It equally means that even those with levels '07 or '08 whose salaries were not up to N30,000 will eventually be added up to N30,000, not just those on Grade levels 01-06.

It is wrong to pick up other interpretations that are not in the minimum wage law.  It  is  important to note that negotiations and discussions have been going on between the LGA Chairmen and their five State union officials like NUT, NULGE, Non Academic Staff Union and others.

Information reaching us indicates that these people here protesting are from the Local Government chapters where the state EXCO have no hand in the protests. Its people from Jos North and Jos South LGCs that come for these protests.They are Local Government Unions and not State Union.The State Union officials insist that they have not called for any strikes.At the negotiation meetings we always confront them, asking them "why can't you stop them?" And they often said " we talk to them but they refuse to listen" and these are Local Government Chapters. It is just like the NLC at the national level where they are being negotiated with and the state starts their own protests,but people do not understand,so they think they are the same group. This is an illegal protest because they have not declared any strike or protest and their is an industrial court injunction which says they should not embark on any  strikes until they finish negotiations, which makes it an unlawful gathering even to the point of locking down the Plateau State and LGC secretariats. We are pressing on the issue of the minimum wage because right now the LGC Chairmen have accepted to pay.

NewsGate Magazine: How far is the negotiations with Labour? We saw the ALGON Chairman in your office a moment ago.

Mr Izam Atang Azi mni :Well we see each other so often since the issue of the minimum wage propped up and we have been having series of discussions towards resolving the lingering effects in regards to the issues of the minimum wage for the Local Government workers. The position now is that the Local Government Chairmen have accepted to implement the N30,000 minimum wage. The issues that needed to be resolved now are the issues of the consequential adjustments and that is for those whose salaries are above Level 7, 8,and above.Those who the minimum wage does not affect but need some adjustments so that the people on level 6 or 7 do not collect higher than somebody of level 8 or 9 and that is what is called consequential adjustments.This is yet to be resolved but we have made some progress, we are meeting tomorrow, so we hope that we will be able to solve some of these issues.

NewsGate Magazine: Sir, you gave a directive that everybody should come to the office today, what is the turn up of civil servants in the state secretariat?

Mr Izam Atang Azi mni:Well, the workers and civil servants have started coming, but some people are yet to get the information,so we will give them remainder of tomorrow and see the level of the turn up. I know those that have come will send the message to those that were not able to come, since they will now have access to the secretariat. We should see an improvement tomorrow.

NewsGate Magazine: Sir, this resumptions is coming almost at the time most nations are going back on a second lockdown because of the new wave of Covid-19, now that we are expecting the civil servants to report back to duty, what are the preparations you have put in place to make sure they follow the drill for the preventive measures of Covid 19?

Mr Izam Atang Azi mni:Before now we have already put in place some of these measures of controlling the spread of the Covid-19 and with the second wave, the instructions is that all civil servants reporting for work will go through all the necessary protocols for the Covid 19 and most importantly the issue of wearing a face mask, washing of hands,hand sanitizers,as well as maintaining social distancing but we have started putting up all these measures already,so as workers resume,we will continue with the enforcement. Every ministry already has provision for some of the items to be used.

NewsGate Magazine: Sir, are you aware that while some people are criticizing you as a person others are eulogizing you, and telling their colleagues that if they knew your contributions towards the amicable resolutions on this negotiation, they will raise their caps for you. How do you feel?

NewsGate Magazine:Of course in situations like these,people will criticize because they do not have the correct information and sometimes the leaders are not giving the proper feedback, but we know that we have been trying to see we resolve the issues amicably and the Local Government should also enjoy the minimum wage. So it is nobody's intention to deny them,  but why it has been lingering is because of the earlier nature of the resources.It has been a real problem, but now that we have accepted to implement the minimum wage at the Local Government level,it is a welcome development and cherry news.

 The Chairmen have to rise up to the occasion too and improve on the internally generated revenue (IGR) and other ways of getting revenue and get measures that the funding will be able to generate the income of the minimum wage. 

The workers have to make their own sacrifices and contributions because if you are involved in revenue collection you have to be transparent and it will help in transforming the salary at that level.

NewsGate Magazine: What do you think is the position of  the Governor in this whole scenario, because some people are not happy with the Governor.Some people are saying he doesn't care because the Local Government is the third tier of Government, what do you think is the position of the Governor?

Mr Izam Atang Azi mni:I don't think its the right thing to say, that the Governor does not care about the welfare of the workers in the Local Government because the Governor has been considerate and concerned. From the word go, when he came in,the Local Government workers had an outstanding salaries,which is called no work no pay, but he was able to clear the salaries, about 5 months. Even the teachers that were dismissed were able to regain a retirement instead of a dismissal so that they can go with their benefits and gratuity. 

In the issue of their promotions,before the Governor came,the LG staff have not been promoted but this Governor has been able to do that through the Local Government Service Commission and the SUBEB, where the teachers and the LG staff are being promoted and some are enjoying the financial benefits due to the promotions, so I don't think it's good to think he doesn't care about the Local Government Staff.

 Even in the issue of the minimum wage, the Governor has consistently maintained that the issue of the minimum wage is important and it is a law,that the Local Government Chairmen should comply to. He had summoned them in a meeting and made that position very clear. We also know that the Local Governments now have financial autonomy unlike before because their resources and funds go to their accounts and if the State Government does Not interfere with the funds of the LG because it all goes to them.Even the issue of deductions, some of them wish those deductions and contributions should be scrapped but some are statutory,the laws are there. So far as they are based in laws it is expected of the Local Government trying to see they make the contributions, in the process a technical committee was set up, they looked at the issues and they recommended that they  should be reduced and Government has also accepted to some of these recommendations. So it is not that the Government does not care for the Local Government.