By DOUGLAS OKORO

The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Ebonyi State chapter, says the union is committed to actualising the payment of the 2024 Christmas bonus promised by Gov. Francis Nwifuru to workers.

Mr. Stanley Ewah, President of NULGE, Ebonyi chapter, communicated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abakaliki.

He said that it was lamentable that some local government workers had yet to receive the Christmas largesse almost seven months after it was announced and paid to workers in the state.

Ewah said that fighting for the benefits and welfare of employees in the local government system was a sacred task he owed to the workers.

The president, who was reacting to delays in paying some staff in most of the local government areas, noted that NULGE was not relenting in the struggle.

He explained that the state workers were paid N150, 000 while staff of local government system got N75,000.

He regretted that the bonus was paid to only those captured during a screening exercise while those who missed the verification exercise were left unpaid.

Ewah said that the affected staff had been verified and captured adding that efforts were being made to pay the remaining staff.

?When the governor in 2024 announced the payment of N150,000 Christmas bonus to state workers, NULGE met with him and made a demand, N75,000 was later approved for the local government employees.

?But it is sad that some council employees are yet to receive this bonus.

?I have gone round the 13 LGAs and what we found was that before the payment, there was a verification exercise; so, the workers who were not captured during the exercise are the ones yet to receive the bonus.

?But, we are not insensitive to the plights of our members; I have gone round the entire LGAs; I have gotten the figures of those that have not been paid and I am working with the Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) to resolve the issue.

?We have achieved 95 per cent success for the bonus payment to our members and we believe that between this June and July that the rest of the unpaid staff will have gotten their own.?

Ewah, who is also the Vice-chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ebonyi, commended Nwifuru for prioritising the welfare of workers in the state.

He also applauded the council chairmen for their labour friendly dispositions and for given premium to the welfare of their staff.

On payment of workers? monthly salaries, the labour leader said that government had overcome the initial obstacles that led to delays.

He said that except the June salaries, no employee of the local government was being owed salary arrears.

?Before now, February and March salaries were not paid on time, we knew it was not the fault of the governor.

?Because of the autonomy granted to local government areas in Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria wanted LGAs to open accounts with the bank.

?Due to the laid down modalities and other requirements to meet, it was not easy for the LGAs to complete the process on time hence the delay in the payment of salaries for February and March across the federation.

"No worker is owed April salary, what we are yet to receive is May salary and we have been appealing to the state government and the ALGON to open a salary account where government can be dropping money for salaries of workers.

?From this dedicated account, monies can be drawn for easy payments of salaries at the end of every month instead of waiting for monthly allocation.

?Once the allocation comes, money withdrawn from the account will be easily replaced from the statutory monthly allocation,? he said. (NAN)

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