By CHIDI NKWOPARA

_OWERRI—Another round of labour crisis is brewing in Imo State, following what staff of the 27 local government councils described as arbitrary deduction of staff salaries by government, for staff identification card project.

Some of the aggrieved staff, who spoke on strict grounds of anonymity, alleged that the State Chairman of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, was working in concert with the state Local Government Service Commission and the Ministry of Local Government to deduct staff salaries without due consultation.

The aggrieved workers alleged that N2,500 was deducted from salaries of staff on grade level 01-10, while N3,000, was deducted from those on grade level 11 and above.

Doing a simple arithmetic, the workers hinted that with a staff strength of about 30,000 NULGE members across the 27 local council areas and with a flat rate of N2,500, a staggering N75 million would have been fleeced from the workers in the exercise.

Some NULGE executive members from the local council areas denied being consulted before the commencement of the deductions.

“We were never consulted. The programme was never discussed during any meeting. It is, therefore, shocking that some people sat and took the decision to illegally tax workers.

They appealed to Governor Rochas Okorocha to, not only halt the illegal deductions, but also refund the deducted amount to the staff.

Efforts made to reach the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Theodore Ekechi, failed as his line could not be reached before press time.