THIS DAY BEGINS PAYMENT OF WORKERS SALARIES AFTER NUJ PROTEST

ThisDay Newspapers has committed to paying three months’ salary arrears of its staff who were owed for eight months, following the protest by the Lagos Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists.

The media outfit, whose premises were picketed by protesting journalists, is expected to pay the remaining five months’ arrears in August.
The disclosure was made, Friday, by the Lagos NUJ Chairman, Deji Elumoye, who is also a staff of This Day Newspapers.
“We succeeded in getting three months pay for Thisday staff on Wednesday evening while the remaining five months will be cleared by August,” Mr. Elumoye said. “The picketing exercise stands suspended.”

ThisDay is owned by the President of Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Nduka Obaigbena.
Besides the salary indebtedness, the newspaper has also failed to remit personal income tax, pension cooperative deductions and check-off dues from paid salaries in the last four years.
Mr. Elumoye, however, did not state if these other items were incuded in the agreement with ThisDay management.
Meanwhile, DAAR Communications, owners of African Independent Television and Ray Power, is up next for picketing by journalists, said Mr. Elumoye.
The acting president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Peters Adeyemi, had accused AIT of owing 17 months salary arrears.
Other newspapers include Independent Newspapers Limited, publishers of Daily Independent (nine months arrears), and Tell Magazine (eight months); National Mirror and Newswatch Daily (seven months), both owned by Jimoh Ibrahim; The News/PM News (nine months); the Daily Champion (18 months); Hallmark owned by Emeka Obasi (eight months) and the Daily Times (six months).