…NLC, TUC call for payment of outstanding gratuities, Implementation of promotions and end to ghost workers saga.
By Onwa Ekor, Calabar
As the world marks the 2024 International Workers’ Day celebration, with the theme, “The People First,” Cross River governor, Prince Bassey Otu, says his administration considers its workforce as the driver of lofty projects and programs for the common good of the people.
The governor, while addressing workers
at the U J Esuene stadium in Calabar venue of the event, maintained that he would embrace whatever action aimed at ameliorating the suffering of the workforce in the state.
He further announced a living wage of Fourty thousand naira (N40,000) only for workers in the state civil service.
“The government of Cross River under my leadership is willing and ready to put smile on the faces of its workers and in line with the season of sweetness which characterizes my administration.
“Owing to the peculiarity of our state in regard to its lean finances occasioned by low Statutory Federal Allocation and aggravated by the unfavorable state GDP to debt servicing ratio, the new wage implementation shall be in line with the realities of the time rather than sentiments.
“On this note, I wish to announce that the least paid worker in the Cross River State Civil Service will henceforth earn the sum of N40,000:00 (Forty Thousand Naira) only, as a living wage. Modalities for immediate implementation are being worked worked out,” the governor remarked.
Conscious of the need to employ teeming qualified youths to bridge the manpower gap created by the retirement of some workers from the civil service, Otu directed the Office of the Head of Service to collaborate with the Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pensions, “to expedite action in determining the actual manpower gap to enable the State government commence the employment of candidates from Grade levels 03 to 09 into the Civil Service.”
Reasoning that his administration remains sensitive to the hue and cry of the people, the governor disclosed that he has also directed relevant government agencies to liase with the Office of the State Accountant-General, to implement all genuine promotions for the State and Local government workers with effect from May this year.
“The slight delay in the implementation of these promotions,” Otu said, “was informed by the need to carry out a thorough clean-up of the State Payroll, of duplication and to weed out ghost workers, if any.”
“After the harmonization of the payroll, every genuine promotion shall be implemented accordingly.
“Besides, I have further directed that the annual incremental step the State and Local Government Workers have not enjoyed for more than a decade now, should be implemented with immediate effect,” the governor said.
Otu who also abolished the activities of merchants or middle men making huge profits from the sweat of producers, intimated of his resolve to constitute the State Produce Marketing Board, to control prices and enhance the income of average farmers and others within the informal sector, thereby affording farmers opportunity to sell their produce at competitive market rate.
He called for patience from pensioners as his administration “is presently on the verge of concluding necessary arrangements for the staggered payment of outstanding gratuity to its retired workers,” adding that, the renovation of some MDAs were ongoing while the provision of office furniture and equipment will be implemented in the second phase, to pave way for a conducive environment that would positively impact on workers output.
Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress in Cross River, Comrade Gregory Olayi, applauded the governor for what he termed as “wonderful turnaround in the beauty and glamour of our state, particularly Calabar.”
According to Olayi, “we were beginning to sing the song ‘Paradise lost,’ due to how the state was left in ruins before Your Excellency took over.
“Our street lights are back, our traffic management is experiencing a new vista through the reintroduction of traffic lights, we can confidently say that the lost paradise is regained under the watch of your Excellency,” the State NLC Chairman stated.
He further called for the restoration of tax exemption to teachers, Implementation of financial autonomy to legislative staff, full implementation of 65 years of age and 40 years of Service as retirement age for teachers in the state, as well as, the need to look into inadequate capital grants and subvention to University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), among others.
For the State Chairman, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Monday Ogbodum, the theme of the 2024 May Day is important to CrossRiverians, as the nation decided to key into the state government’s mantra of ‘people first’ signalling that the state is gradually taking its rightful position as the destination, hence “we must not fail the nation.”
He appealed to the governor to clear all backlog of gratuity as some of the to-be beneficiaries were dying due to lack of funds for medications.
On payroll and purported ghost workers saga, Ogbodum said, Organized Labour in the state had given consent and got itself involved and committed at the initial stage for audit verification to be carried out when government raised alarm of having ghost workers in the payroll. This, he expressed worry that the outcome of the report has not been made public since August 2023.
“Next we saw were files flying up and down from one MDA to another and vice versa in the name of audit verification, and the resultant effect was what was experienced in January and February 2024 payment of salaries, where some were paid and some not paid.
“Genuine workers were declared ghost workers, our appeal, His Excellency, genuine workers of the state should no longer suffer pains in the name of being ghost workers,” the State TUC Chairman said.
On issues surrounding the promotion of workers, Ogbodum remarked that it has become a question of the highest bidder where civil servants are made to pay between N10,000 and N20,000 or above, in order to procure promotion.
“Only those who can afford are promoted. This practice has seriously affected service delivery because one cannot see his/her colleague whom they have been on the same grade/rank suddenly enjoying new rank/grade level simply because he/she cannot afford the amount to procure the promotion.
“Your Excellency Sir, promotions are usually conducted and carried out MDA-by-MDA by the Commission so as to give every qualified civil/public servants equal opportunity to be interviewed for promotion,” Cross River TUC Chairman hinted.
Other areas he lent his voice were the wage award, Implementation of promotions and full blown recruitment into the employ of the State Civil Service.
“What the State Service requires now is full blown recruitment of staff, giving every Cross Riverian without godfather and mother opportunity through properly conducted recruitment process.
“You had once assured Organized Labour that once audit verification was concluded, you were going to do the needful but now audit verification has become unending, will the state service continue to remain empty? Ogbodum rhetorically asked.
The event featured the chanting of solidarity song led by the State NLC Vice Chairman and chairman 2024 Workers Day central planning committee, Comrade Lawrence Achuta, march past by industrial unions and associations as well as the rendition of victory song by the State TUC Secretary, Comrade Ken Bassey.
