An important question that agitates the mind of an average worker in Nigeria that begs legal answer is: when the payment of salaries due to a worker is delayed and or unpaid and the worker incurred extra expense as a result of the delay who bears the interest accruable on such expenses especially if the worker obtains loan to meet his/her socio-economic needs? This paper examines the impact of irregular salary payment in the local government area of Anambra state generally, but more especially the Orumba Local Government workers employees who constitute a substantial size of the workforce in the economy it is considered an abuse of the rights of the workers to enjoy a decent living. The paper seeks to curb the trend by proffering practical solutions even sanctions on the part of employers of labour who are in breach of their contractual obligations to the workers. This common phenomenon has made the legal responsibility attached to contractual relationships in contract of service which demands urgent solution if only to save the lives of many workers and their families whose rights and dignity as humans are being eroded by employer of labour that dammed the socio-economic consequences of their actions. Individual are employed in every public sector institution to carry out various activities are guided by certain rules of procedure and operation in a systematically interrelated pattern, to achieve the complex objectives of its employers. Like in every other government institution civil servants who are recruited into the Orumba North municipal have at their disposal knowledge, skills attitude experience and qualification in carrying out the activities of the government. The employer which is the government on the other hand has its disposal the pay to attract its employee to work and become its members. The pay is otherwise the salaries paid to civil servants. The fundamental purpose of this salary is to encourage he civil servants to provide high performance for the organizational effectiveness and efficiency to positively affect productivity. The development for salary assumes the availability of accurate job description. This job description includes job evaluation and salary survey. These are intended to ensure that they pay system is both internally equitable and externally competitive. The salary to civil servants is meant to serve as the way o acquiring the necessities, luxuries and all the needs of acquiring the necessities, luxuries and all the needs of the workers. It also makes the worker feels that he/her efforts have been acknowledged and may derive a sense of achievement from the job. However when a worker sacrifices all his.\/her efforts knowledge skill and willpower in ensuring that there is a high productivity in organizational and having mind that a monthly entitlement [salary] will be given him/her in order to take care of his/her problem but at the end, he/she gets nothing. The worker is being demoralized to work or force to lose interest which in turn will affect productivity herby resulting to low productivity. Finally, can effective salary policy provide guidelines for compensating employees. It also addresses some issues servant efficiency and effectiveness.
Workers are known or their inefficiency especially when not paid. Hence most government parastatals are even seen as dead woods. The question is how workers performance and behaviours can be encouraged. Again, how could the sit syndrome and engagement in private business during official hours could be curbed in order to enhance their enumeration? Where a worker is owed several months, he/she has no other option than to source to sustain life which may be a sought of engaging in private business. If this non-payment of salaries continues, it then results to low productivity as against the organizational goals. Irregular payment of workers salary may however result to the following action demonstration, laziness to work or even absenteeism to work. Orumba North Local Government area is faced with these problem which thereby result to low productivity in the council.
1.3 Research Questions
1.4 Objectives of the Study
There is no gain saying on the fact that Orumba north local government area is faced with irregular payment of workers salary which has often been a controversial issue in the council indeed, success in labour compensation management has become an acid test for management efficiency. The researcher is motivated by the worrisome state of affairs caused by our study in hand. Thus, the researcher seeks to examine, analyze and proffer solution to the attendant problems. She thereby came up with the following objectives:
1.5 Significance of the Study
Statistics has shown that over 60 percent of industrial actions in the state arte traceable to agitations about irregular payment of workers salary’s and demand for increase in salaries allowance. Orumba north local government area and Anambra state in general are often paralyzed by industrial actions. Most of the industrial conflicts caused by irregular payment of workers salary..Favourable, we are optimistic that our dream to reveal or to divulge the solution to the problem of irregular payment of workers salary in Orumba north local government area would be enthusiastic and of great benefit to other government organization or both in Anambra state and Nigeria in Nigeria. Again, we have in mind that this work would also benefit private owned organization in their effort to overcome the problems associated with irregular payment of workers’ salaries. Finally, we also hope that at the end of this study. We must have achieved lending support to the already done works on this topic for the benefit of future researchers.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This research is channelled on the irregular salary payment in the local government system of Anambra state using orumba north local government area as a study area. The years of studies covered are 2010- 2015.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
Due to the nature of works, I depended on the data gotten from some workers from orumba north local government area, especially from the ministries of works and health and on the already established guild lines since there is no room to take position or assumptions. Again, in the course of carrying out this study, the researcher was financially constrained to a large extent by the harsh economic condition in the country. Another limiting factor
is the inability of the workers met to divulge useful information required for this study.
1.8 Definition of Terms
1.9 Organization of the Study
The chapter of this research work presents the introduction, background of the study, statement of the study (problem) under the study, research question to enable the researcher to meet up with the problem under the study objectives of the study, purpose of the study, significant of the study, scope of the study, limitation of the study, definition of some important terms. The chapter two which present the literature the view which is the review what have been written by other scholars, authors and other writer about the related topics, which helped the researcher to meet up with the problem under study. The chapter three presents the methodology which is the research design area of the study, population of the study, sample and sampling techniques, method of data collection, reliability of instrument, validity of the instrument, method of data collection. Chapter four present the research question which was gotten using the method introduced in chapter three and it will be critically analyzed for easy understanding and to be able to come up with a successful conclusion about the problem under study. The chapter five is the conclusion and recommendation coupled with suggestion for further research in some areas in which research was not able to meet up with.