JOINT ACTION COMMITTEE OF ACADEMIC AND NON ACADEMIC STAFF UNIONS CALL FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW MINIMUM WAGE IN BAUCHI STATE
By Aliyu Adamu Faggo:
The Joint Action Committee of academic and non-academic staff unions of tertiary institutions has urged the state government to urgently implement the New National Minimum Wage considering the plight conditions of the state civil servants.
The State Chairman Joint Action Committee, Comrade Abubakar Ahmed gave the advise when he led other officials of the union at a press conference held at the NUJ Secretariat Bauchi.
He revealed that the JAC members in the state owned tertiary institutions are working round the clock to live up to their responsibilities, hence the need for government support in that direction.
On the issue of the New Pension Scheme Implementation, the Joint Action Committee Chairman, said workers in the state are currently subjected to several mandatory deductions from their salaries which include, two percent goes to the health contributory management Agency and one percent for the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) fund, while the two point five goes for the National Housing fund (NHF), adding that when added to the new pension contributions , will resulted in a substantial thirteen point five percent of their earnings being deducted before they receive their salaries.
Engineer Abubakar Ahmed said, their concern government is to address include, sustainability challenges, management of pension funds as well as to ensure timely remittance, adding that failure to do so the retirees will face delays in accessing their benefits.
The Joint Action Committee urged the state government to take proactive measures to address the following concerns before fully implementing the contributory pension scheme, which include, establishing a robust framework for monitoring and ensuring timely remittances from employers, an increase in the employer’s contribution from ten percent to at least seventeen percent as obtainable in other states, implementing stringent oversight mechanisms for pension fund management to prevent misappropriation and ensure funds are used effectively for their intended purpose among many others.
He stressed the need for government to address the issues thoroughly, which according to him will go along way towards fostering trust and confidence among workers,and advised government to act promptly to avoid further disruption.
