Body advises media houses to take loan to pay workers salaries

It is not for the government to start giving out loans to the public or private companies to pay the salaries of workers because it gave to state governments,’’ Wabba said.

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday urged media organisations that could not pay the salaries of its workers to take loan from a commercial bank to meet their obligation.

The President of the NLC, Mr Ayuba Wabba, made the appeal when he spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone in Lagos.

Wabba was reacting

to a call by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, that the Federal Government should initiate financial bailout for insolvent media organisations.

He said that financial bailout from the government was a refundable loan and commercial bank could also perform such obligation to enable them to meet their responsibilities to their workers.

"The financial bailout issue is about priority and not about the fund. There are commercial banks where organisations in distress can go and take loan.

"It is not for the government to start giving out loans to the public or private companies to pay the salaries of workers because it gave to state governments,’’ Wabba said.

He said that some of the states had started to pay back the loans given to them in August.

The NLC president further advised union leaders to understand the details of any government policy or recommendation before they make their contributions.

NAN reports that some of the media houses owe their workers salary arrears of between three and 21 months.