Labour suspends five-week strike in Kogi

After five weeks of industrial action, organised Labour yesterday suspended the strike following an agreement with the Kogi government.

The state NLC chairman, Onu Edoka who made the announcement in Lokoja after a meeting with Deputy Governor Simeon Achuba, indicated that all parties agreed to adopt the Dr. Jerry Agbaji committee report raised to audit the civil service.

Governor Yahaya Bello had ordered the verification of the state’s workforce with a view to eliminating ghost workers.

But the outcome of the exercise was originally unsatisfactory to Labour which alleged irregular disbursements and use of only two banks, resulting in untold hardship to workers hence the strike.

Edoka noted that part of the agreement was the availability of the report to all MDAs, councils, LDEAs, tertiary institutions and pensioners.

“We all took note of the painful decision to use two banks for the purpose of paying salaries from the bail- out funds. We have agreed that subsequent payments relating to the bail-out or other money should not be domiciled in two banks only.

“In order words, we resolved that salaries should be paid directly into individual account of choice,” he clarified.

Edoka added that the meeting also agreed that salary must be uniformly paid through out the state.

In his remarks, the deputy governor thanked the labour leaders for their understanding and sacrifices.