Rivers NULGE Threatens Strike Over Non-Remittance Of Check Off Dues

The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Rivers State is threatening to embark on strike over the non remittance of members check off dues working in the Akuku-Toru local government council.
The state President of the union, Comrade Clifford Paul who said this in a briefing after the union’s state Executive Council meeting in Port Harcourt said over three million naira deducted from the staff of the local government area as checkoff dues for six months had not been remitted to the council.
Paul said all appeals to the chairman of Akuku-Toru Local Government chairman for the remittance of the money, proved abortive.
“We talked with him through Local Government Service Commission and Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) headed by the Mayor of Port Harcourt Hon. Victor Ihunwo, yet he refused to release monies that were deducted from our people.
“Let me make it clear that the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike does not have problem with us, because every month, he releases the council allocations promptly for our workers to be paid.
“Checkoff dues are deducted during payment of salaries and that AKULGA deducted but refused to remit same dues for six months.
The union president accused some principal officers of the council for collaborating with the Akulga chairman, Hon. Roland Sekibo to shortchange the union without recourse to the NULGE branch chairman in the council.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of AKULGA, Hon. Roland Sekibo has blamed the situation on what he called “a legal dispute among the members of NULGE in the state,” Sekibo said he would not like to go against the rule of law in the conduct of council’s business, adding that “I am not an agent of NULGE and so they should not involve me in their matters.”