By Victor Ahiuma-Young
PORT HARCOURT—TRADE Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has called on governors of the South- South states to adopt and implement the new salaries for civil servants in their various states.

South-South Forum of TUC in its maiden meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, commended President Goodluck Jonathan for approving the new salaries for public  civil servants and appealed  that the new pay package should be paid by the end of July 2010

A communique issued at the end of the meeting signed by TUC’s state Chairmen of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River States, said:  “We thank the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR) for approving the new salaries for public  civil servants and appeal that it be paid by the end of July 2010 .

We equally appeal to the South-South Governors who are well known for their Labour friendly disposition, to adopt and implement the new salaries for the civil servants in their various states.

We thank His Excellency, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi , the Executive Governor of Rivers State, for his labour friendly disposition which can be attested to by the recent donation of buses and saloon cars to Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, and Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC,in Rivers State.

The TUC South-South Forum also thanks the Rivers State Governor for making it possible for the TUC, Rivers State Council, to host the maiden meeting of the TUC South-South Forum at Aldgate Congress Hotel, Sanni Abacha Road, Port Harcourt.

“We want to use this opportunity to thank the President General of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Comrade Peter Esele, for his pragmatic leadership of TUC and for finding time out of his very busy schedule to honour our invitation.

We want to assure him that we the leaders of TUC in the South-South States shall not relent in our determination to improve on the welfare of our members and growth of TUC in Nigeria as well as our determination for the development of Nigeria in general and South-South States in particular.”