Salary ‘padders’ behind Benue workers’ strike – Ortom

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, on Thursday, alleged that the ongoing industrial action by workers in the state was being instigated by those involved in padding salaries in the state.

Ortom, who spoke when the Local Organising Committee of the 2017 International Convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors paid him a courtesy visit at the Benue Peoples House in Makurdi, stated that the strike might be a ploy to frustrate the ongoing salary verification in the state.

He stated, “I am surprised that labour leaders, who are involved in the disbursement of the resources that accrue to the state every month and have hitherto shown understanding, would suddenly behave as if money has been kept aside somewhere.”

“Upon deeper reflection, I realised that the strike might have been instigated by the same syndicate that was benefitting from the over-bloated salary bill of the state and has encouraged the strike as a strategy to frustrate the verification of workers.”

He vowed to conclude the ongoing screening in spite of the strike in order to ascertain the genuine workers on the payroll of government and to reduce the wage bill.

He appealed to the workers to call off the strike and return to the negotiating table as his administration was ready to listen to superior arguments on how to resolve the salary challenge.
Ortom explained that he had been faithful in implementing his agreement with labour to combine federal allocations of two months to pay one month’s full salary to all categories of workers in the state.

-Punch