Malam Mohammed Garba, President, Nigeria Union of Journalists, said?his union would on Wednesday hold a crucial meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, on the payment of the “weigh-in'' allowance recently approved for media workers.
Garba said this in Abuja on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The NUJ president said the meeting would also be attended by representatives of the Radio, Television and Theatre workers’ Union (RATTAWU).
He said that the NUJ and RATTAWU were working together to ensure that the issue of the weigh-in allowance was sorted out this week.
“We would be going to the SGF’s office tomorrow (Wednesday) for discussion on the matter. We would sort out whatever is the problem this week,’’ Garba said.
He, however, blamed chairmen and secretaries of chapels for not carrying the NUJ national body along in their problems and challenges in relation to the issue.
“ I have directed the Abuja council to meet with all chairmen and secretaries of FCT chapels so that we can be briefed on what is happening.
“The chairmen and the secretaries of chapels don’t give us information so that we can get update on the situation in their chapels concerning the weigh-in allowance.
“I never knew it had not been paid until when?I was asked by some people and this is really unfortunate,’’ he said.
He did not say if the union would be calling out its members on a strike over the matter, stressing that the decision had not been arrived at by both NUJ and RATTAWU.
The NUJ Deputy National Secretary, Mr Rotimi Obamuwagun, had told NAN in June that the union was worried by?the delay in the payment of the allowance
He said that the NUJ was discussing with RATTAWU and gave the Federal Government till July to implement the weigh-in allowance.
“We are keeping further action that we would take due to non implementation, close to our chest for now due to strategic reason''.
Mr Yemisi Bamgbose, President of RATTAWU, had also told NAN in Abuja on Tuesday that his union would meet with all its affiliates on Wednesday.
“There will be a joint meeting of all affiliates of the union tomorrow, Wednesday, in Abuja.
“At that meeting, we shall be discussing the next line of action and then get back to you,’’ Bamgbose said.
RATTAWU had said that it would call out its members on a strike if the Federal Government failed to pay the allowance approved for media workers by the end of June.
NAN reports that the Federal Government had approved a 22 per cent weigh-in allowance for journalists working in its media organisations with effect from July 2011. (NAN)
