By Victor Ahiuma-Young

ORGANIED labour in the printing and publishing industry has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Northern Governors’ Forum,  NGF, within which to pay workers of New Nigerian Newspapers Limited, NNN, their unpaid salaries since January and outstanding annual leave grants of 2006, among other demands, or risk industrial action.

Under the umbrella of National Union of Printing, Publishing and Papers Products Workers, NUPPPPROW, the workers are also contending that their  salaries has not been reviewed in line with the current minimum wage since year 2000 and differences remained unpaid for over eight years.

The union is demanding  immediate payment of four months salaries arrears from February to May 2010 reflecting the new salary increase,  settlement of all unpaid arrears of salaries, leave allowances and other benefits, as well as payment of Federal Government’s several salary increments not implemented by NNN.

The Federal Government returned NNN to the northern governors in year 2006 under circumstances the Bureau of Public Enterprise, BPE, was said to have described as improper.

Effect from June 16
The ultimatum which took effect from June 16, is expected to expire on July 6.

In a protest letter to NGF dated 14 June 14 titled, The State of New Nigerian Newspapers: 21-day Ultimatum to Northern Governor’s Forum, the union lamented that “workers’ salaries have not been paid since January 2010, annual leave grants have been outstanding since year 2006, salaries have not been reviewed in line with the current minimum wage since year 2000 and differences have remained unpaid for over eight years now.”

The letter reminded the Northern governors of their promises to the workers as contained in the communique issued at the end of NGF meeting held 7 May which dealt with the issue of the privatisation of the New Nigerian Newspapers Limited.

It said “while the Forum took far-reaching decisions to reposition the legacies of the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, and promised to provide a ‘Lifetime’ to the New Nigerian Newspapers at its meeting of 25 March 2010, it is sad to note that in spite of the promise by the Northern Governors’ Forum very little has been achieved.”

The letter was signed by the principal officers of the Joint Workers Union Consultative Committee of the company, Bulama Mustapha, Joint Chairman/Chairman, NUPPPPROW.

According to the workers, “some governors have not fulfilled series of pledges made by the NGF towards assisting the company to grow.”

Defaulters

As they pointed out, only nine states, Katsina, Kaduna, Kogi, Kano, Kwara, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Bauchi and Niger, fully redeemed the pledge of 4.7 million Naira each of July 2005, while Kebbi and Zamfara could only make part payments.

Only eight states, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kogi, Kano, Niger and Katsina, fully redeemed the pledge of 2.5 million Naira, while eleven states did not honour the pledge.

“Another pledge of 15 million Naira was made by NGF which formed the basis for our suspending the December 2009 Work-to-Rule industrial action,” the letter stated.