The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) branch of Senior Staff Association of Communication Transportation and Corporation (SSACTAC) has accused management of the agency of inconsistencies in workers’ salary structure.
The workers raised alarm, saying that several months after its current Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman took over, there are still a lot of inconsistencies going on in the NPA.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos at the weekend, President of the NPA branch of SACTAC; Comrade Benson Adegbeyeni alleged that some junior officers earn more than some managers in NPA.
He argued that salary structures in any organisation ought to be based on rank and seniority in office, but that in NPA, it is not so.
Adegbeyeni accused the former board chairman of NPA, Chief Tony Anenih of contributing to the anomaly in the salary structure based on his alleged selfishness.
He revealed that the abnormal salary structure started during the tenure of former Managing Director of NPA, Habib Abdullahi and that when his successor, the Ado Bayero tried to correct the structure, he was frustrated by Chief Tony Anenih.
"There are many issues unresolved in NPA, so many things are wrong in NPA and we would continue to fight until the right thing is done"
"In NPA now there is erratic schedule in salary, as a manager, an Assistant Manager or senior officer would be earning more than you and this is unfortunate"
"The salary structure needs to be normalised. You cannot say you are a manager or an Executive Director and yet a labourer is earning more than you, then what makes you a manager? It is the take home pay that makes you a manager"
"It is assumed that you have more responsibility to carry than those under you"
"This has been there for long, though we tried to resolve it when former MD of NPA Habib Abdulahi was there, but it was not done, when Ado Bayero came for three months we tried to resolve it again, he took it upon himself and went to the wages commission"
"It was the former NPA board chairman that reduced Bayero from doing it simply because of their selfish interest", he alleged.
Adegbeyeni noted that the workers are the engine room facilitating the huge revenue that NPA is earning, thus they should be motivated so that they can deliver more.
He stressed that without the workers, the revenue coming from NPA cannot go to the Federal government.
Even though he acknowledged that no workers in Nigeria today is satisfied with his wages, he said that inflation and other economic factors have encroached into the workers’ salaries.
"Hadiza met it on ground and we gave her room to acquaint herself with what is happening in NPA, you cannot solve all the problems in one day, but when trees fall on trees, you start to pick the first one, this is what I discussed with her (Hadiza) if truly she is ready to put NPA right".
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