No fewer than 659 batch D1 teachers sacked by governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri when he served as acting governor in 2014 have asked the state government to pay them their 30 months unpaid salary without further delay.
The coordinator of the group, Fred Mbashi, said the government has not been forthcoming and straight forward in addressing their plight as a result of which they decided to make their matter public.
Mbashi added that about 2,193 of them employed by former governor Murtala Nyako were sacked by Fintiri but only 659 filed a case before the national industrial court.
He noted that the court on June 18, 2018 delivered judgement asking the state government to pay them N736,318,400 being their 30 months unpaid salaries but government flatly refused to abide by the court ruling.
“2,193 of us were disengaged but 659 filed the case. The judgement was favourable to us. We followed the case for three years before we obtained judgement at the national industrial court.
“The court ordered the state government to pay us our pay for the 30 months we worked within three months. 726,318,400,” he said.
Lamenting further, the leader of the unpaid workers accused Fintiri led administration of insincerity and deception.
He said during a meeting with the government-held at the behest of the attorney general of the state, the state government has asked them to forfeit their salaries in lieu of fresh employment which they could not accept due to the clear lopsidedness of the arrangement against them.
” The judgement stated clearly that the defendants should pay the amount to the claimant account that is our lawyers’ account.
“But later they tried to appeal the case and the court has to stop them and said if they will appeal they should deposit the money into the account of industrial court so that they can proceed to the appeal court.
” We met with the government officials and the attorney general and the NUT chairman. We sat and discussed a lot but unfortunately, it did not yield any result.
” Their intention is that we should forfeit the money given to us by the judgement and then go to the CSC, buy form, follow the queue before we can be employed as new staff,” he said.
He pleaded with the members of the group to exercise more patience as he said the court and their counsels are trying their best to ensure that justice is delivered.
“The government should know that we are the masses. We have defendants. They should critically look into the matter. The court has given the judgement if they are not ready to they should just give us our monies since they are not ready to give us our jobs,” he said.
Responding to the issues raised, the Director-General Media and Communications to Governor Fintiri, Mr. Solomon Kumangar told our correspondent on phone that the Fintiri led administration has placed a premium on the rule of law and respect for court judgements.
He said the ruling was made even before the coming of the government assuring that the ministry of justice and the attorney general of the state are putting heads to ensure amicable resolution of the quagmire.
” I think the judgement came before this administration, but I can assure you that ministry of justice and Attorney General of the state will put heads together to resolve the matter,” said he.
Kumangar added that Fintiri’s administration is the most friendly administration to the civil servants in the history of the state adding on no account will the government shortchange the civil servants.
The DG noted that because of its passion for the welfare of the civil servants, the administration was the first to implement minimum wage of N32,000 in the whole of the federation.