By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Kano State chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC) has expressed concern over the casualization of labour in schools and hospitals in the state, describing the practice as a dangerous trend.
The Chairman of the chapter,Comrade Kabiru Inuwa,made the remark while answering questions from newsmen as part of activities marking the 2025 International Workers’ Day.
“Hospitals and schools are places that you don’t have to take a casual worker because schools are providing the future leaders while hospitals are dealing with lives, ” Inuwa said.
“You have to give them your best. You have to give them all you could to make sure that those places are adequately staffed; and equipped. You cannot bring a casual worker and entrust the lives of people in his hands,” Inuwa said.
According to him,casual workers have a tendency of negligence, adding,”that is our fear. That is why we are considering it as a challenge, not to us alone as labourers, but to the society in general.”
He urged the State Government to look into the issue with a view to converting the casual workers to full workers to enable the authorities of those health institutions to have adequate control over them.
The chairman then dismissed the State Government’s claim of discovering 247 ghost workers in the payroll of Local governments.
He said the State government should be blamed for refusing to process the retirement notice sent by the retiring workers, adding as long as their retirement letters are not processed, they are still workers.
“It is in the local government that you will retire, send your own application for retirement. After the date that you are leaving the service, it will not be processed.
“Stoppage of salary is a product of processing retirement procedures. Nobody can stop your salary without having the necessary documents that you are exiting the service in so-so months. Those are the category of workers that are referred to as ghost-workers.
“Your retirement was not processed and sent. Salary is coming. Will you hold your hand and say let me take it back? No, because you are still a worker,” Inuwa said.
He said the union was making an effort to ensure that the retirement desk officers discharged their duties as required.
“We are taking care of that. The labour is taking the bull by the horn. We will make it mandatory every retirement desk officer in every local government will be summoned at the Congress.
“If we continue to have this kind of issue, they have to sign on the ticket between them and the government that this will not happen. Because they are blackmailing us,” Inuwa added.