NUJ to picket ThisDay, Newswatch Times over unpaid salaries

The Nigeria Union of Journalists is set to picket two national newspapers, ThisDay and Newswatch Times, over unpaid salaries.
While ThisDay is owned by flamboyant publisher, Nduka Obaigbena, Newswatch Times is one of the titles in the stable of the Energy Group owned by Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim.
ThisDay, The Eagle Online gathered on Monday, is owing eight months salary, while Newswatch Times is in arrears of six months.
National Mirror, which is also in the stable of Ibrahim, has a backlog of four months salary, it was gathered.
In separate letters to Obaigbena and Ibrahim, the national secretariat of the NUJ called on them to “urgently offset backlog of salaries of journalists in your employment….”
The letter, signed by the NUJ’s National Secretary, Shuaibu Usman Leman, said it is instructive to stress that the successes being recorded by the newspapers are attributable mainly to the hard work of members who toil daily to ensure that the newspapers hit he newsstand unfailingly.
Leman said it is therefore counterproductive to even delay the workers’ salaries.
The Eagle Online learnt that the NUJ may picket the newspapers’ establishment next week if the salaries remained unpaid.
It was gathered that Obaigbena was in the process of paying the outstanding salaries before he lost his brother last week.
Sources within the organisation told The Eagle Online that an agreement had been reached with some senior staff of the newspaper house for the payment of the salary by last week Friday before the publisher lost his brother.