BREAKING: NLC Threatens To Embark On Strike Over Unpaid Local Government Workers’ Salaries In Rivers

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Rivers State has condemned the non-payment of salaries for local government workers in the state since February, warning that failure to pay the outstanding salaries by the end of March will compel them to withdraw services.

In a press briefing held on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, the NLC Chairman in Rivers, Alex Agwanwor, expressed the union’s frustration over the situation.

He stated that the body would be left with no choice but to withdraw its members from local government and public sector services if the salaries, including March’s payments, were not cleared by the end of the month.

“We demand that the salaries of all local government workers be paid on or before the end of March, and the implementation of the minimum wage in all local government areas must be enforced by then,” Agwanwor said.

Naija News reports that Agwanwor further reiterated that the state NLC aligns with the national leadership of the organised labour on the ongoing state of emergency in Rivers State, stressing that workers should not bear the brunt of the ongoing political turmoil.

“The executive has also resolved that Rivers workers are not partisan and cannot suffer in the midst of all these crises,” he said.

He emphasized that local government workers, in particular, have not received their salaries since February, further aggravating the financial hardship faced by workers in the state.

The NLC Chairman reiterated the union’s demand for the immediate payment of salaries to all local government workers and for the state government to implement the minimum wage law at the local government level.

“Workers’ salaries, most especially at the local government levels, have not been paid since February 2025 to date. We demand the immediate implementation of the minimum wage at the local government levels in Rivers State by the end of this month,” Agwanwor stated.

He stressed that the NLC would take further steps to mobilize workers and begin the process of withdrawing services if these demands were not met.

Agwanwor concluded by calling on the state government to prioritize the welfare of workers, ensuring that they are not negatively affected by the ongoing political crisis.