WORKERS of the Nigeria Telecommunications (Nitel) Plc have kicked against the mode of payment adopted by the Federal Government in settling their entitlements.
The Presidentila Taskforce on Nitel had announced that the benefits of the workers would be paid to them in installments.
President of the Nitel/M-tel workers, Comrade Elias Kazzah said the workers do not want their entitlements paid in installments as recommended by the Presidential Taskforce on Nitel/M-tel.
“Considering the problems faced by the 9,000 workers disengaged by the Federal Government following the downsizing exercise at Nitel, we will not allow our entitlements to be split. In 2006, when our colleagues were disengaged, they were made to sign their disengagement letters without receiving their entitlements and up till now, they are yet to be paid,” he said.
Kazzah said they would only sign disengagement letters if their entitlements are paid at once. “Our entitlements, that is, gratuities, pensions, repatriation, redundancy and abolition of office allowance should be paid at once. In fact, the payment should be made through cheque. This is what we want and we are not going to take anything short of this. We have suffered enough,” he said.
The taskforce had in a payment time table, said disengagement letters would have to be signed by the workers before their entitlements are paid into their accounts.
The task force also said that the three months in lieu of notice and all outstanding salaries and allowances would be paid before other entitlements.
