The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Borno State Chapter, Yusuf Inuwa, has given reasons as to why he opposed the use of clock-in machines for local government workers in the state, News About Nigeria reports.
He stated this while speaking to newsmen on Monday, noting that it was an attempt to punish the LG workers.
Recall that while swearing in the newly elected local council chairmen on January 29, the state governor, Babagana Zulum, directed the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to install the biometric capture attendance machine to enable him to monitor and ensure the presence of the LG workers at their workplaces every working day throughout the state.
However, the sign-in attendance machine did not sit well with the state’s branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress as they argued that the workers lacked the wherewithal to travel from wherever they are residing or working to the LG headquarters to sign in before proceeding to their respective workplaces.
Inuwa maintained that it would not be possible for most of the staff who are from Grade Level 10 to the lowest level, stressing that with the current minimum wage, they couldn’t be expected to observe this daily routine from wherever they are.
“We had argued that it would not be possible for most of the staff who are from Grade Level 10 to the lowest level,” the state Chairman of the NLC said.
“Most of the LG workers, such as teachers and medical and health workers, are not resident at the LG headquarters where they can just walk in and sign in; they are sparse in their various workplaces in villages many kilometres away from the headquarters,” he reasoned, querying, “with the current minimum wage, how would you expect them to observe this daily routine from wherever they are?h He stated.
He, however, noted that the signing in on the clock-in attendance machine by local government workers to register their presence at their workplaces daily in Borno State has now been restricted to only the LG chairmen, councillors and other staff from Grade Level 12 and above.
