By Akpovoke Otiti
Non-academic Staff of NNPC Leadership Academy (NLA) deployed to the school’s branch in Ekpan, Delta State, are crying out over the nonpayment of 10 months’ salary arrears.
Some of the workers, who spoke exclusively to The Union Nigeria but pleaded anonymity, accused the management of the company of being insensitive to their plight.
They alleged that the employer had on several occasions threatened to sack them whenever they demand for payment of their salaries adding that as a result of the situation, life had become very difficult for them.
Some of the non-academic Staff said they were receiving half salary in the past years until January when the management stopped payment.
“We were getting half salary in the past years and the company stopped payment of our salary since January.”
“We find it difficult to pay our children’s school fees. When our children fall sick, it is difficult for us to buy drugs for them or even take them to hospital for treatment. Some of us go borrowing in order to sustain our lives,” one of them said.
A female Staff said, “It is very difficult to cope without being paid for many months. It is even more difficult for us because we are not direct staff. We are the people that suffer most. We therefore called for government intervention to resolve the matter and address our plight.”
“Our counterparts in the western and northern parts of the country have been paid their entitlements up to date. We the non-Academic staff are appealing to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to prevail on their contractors to pay us our salaries or be ready for whatever action we would take within the ambit of the law.” She stressed.
