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Ministry Workers Protest Over Non-Payment of Salaries

By on December 24, 2012

The junior staffs of the ministry of Science and Technology has protested over non-payment of salaries since January.

The workers expressed their grievances after the ministry refused to take them along while taking decisions about their welfare.

Explaining the situation, Science and Technology, the chairman of the chapter’s Chairman of the Nigeria Civil Service Union blamed the management for the development, adding that the management could have handled the situation in a better way.

Adding, Yahaya said the ministry ignored the welfare of the junior staff completely.

“We are not saying the welfare must be sharing of money all the time, but there are many ways to tackle the welfare issues.

“We have been agitating that whenever the issue of welfare will be discussed, we should be carried along, but such thing is not happening here.

“The ministry must carry us along when deciding on our welfare,” Yahaya said.

They also protested over the neglect and non-payment of salaries to about 105 junior workers who were recruited, trained, and abandoned.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Ewa, who spoke the protesters, said the poor welfare issue was caused by the low budget allocation to the ministry.

“When you look at the budget frame you discover that the ministry has a limit in its operation and because of that you will bear with us as we drive the system,’’ Ewa said.

He told the protesters that he would never hold back any monies meant for the running of the ministry.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Rabi Jimeta, while addressing the protesters also said the workers knew quite well that the junior ones were employed without waiver.

Adding, Jimeta promised that the ministry had taken indispensable steps to right the wrongs and help the people concerned.

“My clear directive on that is that anybody that had been previously employed with the coming of this waiver should be retained.

“But it is on the condition that he has got the pre-requisite qualifications for that post he is occupying.

“The qualifications are clearly stated in the scheme of service. If you have those qualifications you don’t have problem, but if you don’t have those qualifications, there is no way we can assist,” Jimeta said.

Meanwhile, a junior staff member in Technical Department, who pleaded anonymity, told reporters that the ministry had stopped paying his salary since January.

“I wrote an application letter and the ministry offered me an appointment.

“I was paid for six months last year, but when the ministry employed another batch of junior workers, the payment was stopped in January.

“The excuse was that no waiver was given for the appointment. I do not know anything about waiver; my own is that I sought for job and I was given an appointment letter.”