The possibility of Nigeria Labour Congress, Akwa Ibom State Council calling out its members in the public service to embark on an indefinite strike action with effect from Tuesday, November 10 is rife.
This follows the inability of Akwa Ibom Government to meet the 14-day ultimatum given to it to meet the union’s 13-point demand.
In a telephone interview with Straightnews on Sunday, Comrade Sunny James, the Chairperson of NLC, Akwa Ibom Council said the State Executive Council of the NLC will meet at Workers’ Solidarity Centre, Atan Offot, in Uyo Local Government Area on Monday, November 9 for members to review the demands and the ultimatum given to government.
James said government has reinstated 402 workers in the state local government service commission, paid 2020 leave grant to workers and is about to issue letters of promotion to the affected workers.
According to him, the process of negotiation and engagement between the union and the government has begun in earnest. And government is about to the expand the committee for negotiation of the NLC’s 13 demands and the committee is about to be expanded to bring in the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
In a telephone interview too with Straightnews on Sunday, Comrade Iboro Ibara, the state NLC acting secretary, confirmed that “it is SEC that would review actions of the state government and decide to embark on the action or to back down for further negotiation with the government.”
Ibara who is also the council’s treasurer saw the government’s action in recalling a few of the sacked workers in the local government service commission, payment of leave grant and setting up of committee to negotiate the workers as “diversionary and a ploy to delay in implementing the demands for the pauperized workers in the state.
“What is the government going to negotiate? Those demands are genuine. Why can’t the government implement them instead of adopting delay tactics on the demands? I know the governor is afraid to come out and address the workers. I know he cannot send secretary to the government to negotiate to avoid getting more bashing. Well, for the Chief of the Personal Staff to the Governor, he is a new negotiator and may receive a few verbal attacks, depending on the resolutions,” he noted.
Recall that the union, in a communique jointly signed by NLC Chairman, James and the Acting Secretary, Ibara after State Executive Council (SEC) Emergency Meeting on Monday, 26th October, 2020, had accused the State government of a continual refusal to address the multitude of issues affecting the workers and retirees in the State, as well as the well-being of the Congress.
Among the demands included: “Payment of the 2020 leave grant to all Civil Servants; 2018- 2020 leave grant to workers in the Local Government Service and 2015, 2017- 2020 leave grant to Primary School Teachers; Immediate end to the use of ‘dubious and recalcitrant’ Salary Consultants to manage the State’s Civil Service payroll. There should be a reversal to qualified payroll officers within the service who are eminently qualified to do the same job.
“Clearance of the backlog of gratuities to retirees in the State as follows: Retirees of the State Civil service from April 2016 to the present; Retirees of the Local Government Service from 2012 to the present; Retired Primary School Teachers from 2010 to the present and; Next-of-kin especially Primary School Teachers from 1989 to the present;
“Immediate payment of the December 2019 arrears of minimum wage to all Akwa lbom workers and the January 2020 Minimum Wage arrears already paid to other Civil Servants to Primary School Teachers;
“Immediate release of funds for the refund of the 7.5 per cent Contributory Pensions to Primary School Teachers and all such Civil Servants that did not get their refunds as well as the harmonization of pensions for all State Government retirees in compliance with Extant Laws;
“Conclusion of action on the revalidation of the 403 Local Government health workers who were delisted from the payroll in July 2019 while others who were similarly affected (non-health workers) should also be revalidated and reinstated;
“Immediate recall of the four (4) sacked Labour Leaders of Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company, Onna L.G.A. and the immediate resuscitation of Peacock Paints Limited at Etinan and Akwa Savings and Loans Limited and appointment of new Board Members with relevant experience to replace the current obsolete Board; payment of outstanding salary from January 2020 to date to the Akwa lbom State University (AKSU) workers.”
But in a dramatic twist, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State directed reinstatement of 403 workers earlier sacked following a government investigation into an illegal recruitment scandal which rocked the State Local Government Service Commission in 2019.
The Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Local Government Service Commission, Monday Eyo, told newsmen in Uyo, November 2 that the 403 workers mostly health workers were reinstated to increase manpower in the State’s health sector, fill vacancies left behind via retirements and to boost overall employment of Akwa Ibom youths.
“I wish to inform you that this category of workers has been reinstated. They are health workers reinstated to increase manpower in the health sector. Their appointment letters have been signed thus beginning from the first week of November about 200 of them will be commencing work. Then by January 2021, another batch of 203 will start work.
The third batch of remaining 320 workers will be subsequently reabsorbed afterwards and that will complete the total number of 723 that their appointments were suspended.”
In another desperate move to avert the strike action, the state government paid 2020 leave grant to workers in the public service on November 6.
Not done, the same government set up a joint Government and Labour committee to negotiate issues affecting the Labour force in the state has been set up.
Headed on the government side by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Akparawa Ephraim A. Inyangeyen, the committee has Elder Effiong Essien, the Head of the Civil Service; Commissioner for Labour and manpower planning, Pastor Sunny Ibuot.
On the Labour side are the Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Akwa Ibom State, Comrade Sunny James assisted by the NLC Secretary and Treasurer, Comrade Iboro Ibara, Comrade Effiong Nya, respectively and the representative of the Joint Public Sector Negotiation Committee, Comrade Tina Essien.
The committee is to negotiate the NLC’s 13 demands and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days to the Governor for necessary action.
