Former National Pilot Workers Demand Transparency Over Salary Arrears Payment

 

Former and current workers of National Pilot Newspaper have called for transparency and independent reconciliation of the newspaper’s financial records over outstanding salary arrears allegedly owed them.

The workers, in a statement signed by  Christie Doyin, A.M., Kazeem Bamus, Tajudeen Amusan, Alh Hussain Gold and Ahmed Ibrahim, said their recent video appealing to the newspaper’s owner/publisher, former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, was not an accusation that he personally owed them salaries.

They said the appeal was specifically directed at Saraki to intervene and ensure that legitimate outstanding salaries owed to affected workers were paid.

The workers were reacting to a statement by the management of National Pilot Newspaper, which they said attempted to misrepresent the purpose of their appeal, question their integrity and introduce political motives into what they described as a straightforward labour dispute.

According to them, “the dispute is fundamentally between the affected workers and the management oveìjjr the computation, administration and payment of their outstanding entitlements.”

They alleged that the salary arrears did not arise solely from financial difficulties confronting the company, but that questions remained about the management and administration of funds between 2016/2017 and 2022 and beyond.

The workers specifically called for proper accounting of the company’s finances during the period, particularly funds allegedly made available for salaries and other operational expenses.

They questioned why workers were sometimes paid partially or made to wait for several months despite, according to them, funds being provided for the running of the organisation.

The statement urged management to provide documentary evidence showing funds received for salaries, actual payments made to workers and how many outstanding balances were calculated.

On the disputed 29-month salary arrears figure cited by management, the workers said the figure was not accepted by all affected employees.

They claimed that while some workers believed they were owed about 33 months, others put their outstanding arrears at 40 months or more.

They therefore demanded the publication of a staff-by-staff schedule indicating the affected workers, periods covered, salaries due, payments made, outstanding balances and the basis for arriving at the 29-month figure.

The workers also questioned the reported payment of about N18 million to 30 members of staff, with another 10 workers said to constitute the second batch.

They called on management to publish the payment schedule and explain how each beneficiary’s entitlement was determined.
“ There is nothing political about asking for transparency over one’s earned salary,” the workers said.

They also raised questions concerning alleged discrepancies over payments made to the newspaper, including an instance where an accountant was reportedly said to have claimed that certain funds had not been received, while evidence of payment and acknowledgement was allegedly subsequently produced.

The workers maintained that such issues could be resolved through an independent examination of the company’s financial records.

They further rejected what they described as attempts to portray the aggrieved workers as politicians seeking to damage Saraki’s political image or demarket the newspaper.

“Unpaid salary is not a political party. Demanding one’s legitimate entitlement is not a political campaign. Appealing to an employer or publisher for intervention is not political propaganda,” they said.

The workers also disputed management’s claim concerning medical expenses allegedly paid for one of the affected workers, Christie Doyin, challenging the newspaper to produce receipts, vouchers and payment schedules to substantiate its position.

They appealed to Saraki to intervene in the dispute, acknowledging that he had previously provided funds which enabled the payment of some affected workers.

“Our appeal is that the remaining workers should not be abandoned,” they said.

The workers urged the management to open its books and make available relevant audited accounts, bank statements, payment vouchers, salary schedules and other records for independent verification.

They said they were equally prepared to present correspondence, payment records and other documents in their possession to establish their claims.

The workers concluded that the matter should be resolved through transparency and accountability rather than political accusations or attacks on their character.
“The workers are not asking for politics. They are asking for their earned wages,” the statement said.

“They are not seeking to destroy National Pilot Newspaper. They are asking that the institution they served should honour its obligations to them.

“And they are not attacking Dr Bukola Saraki. They are appealing to him for help.”