May Day otherwise known as Workers’ Day observed globally as a yearly ritual is a time of stock-taking between employers and their employees. Such event usually provides a vista of hope, promises and harmony as well as gives vent to accolades and backlash.
In Akwa Ibom State, the celebration expected to have birthed renewal of promises occasionally ricocheted backlash and jeers as Governor Udom Emmanuel might have expected accolades from Akwa Ibom State workers based on his adumbrated gestures: payment of salaries/pensions and release of promotion to them.
At the workers’ rally at Uyo Township Stadium Wednesday, Emmanuel told the waiting workers and pensioners that he had cleared all salaries to civil servants and pension arrears to retirees.
On hearing this, the anxious-waiting workers retorted “No, No No, No, No, No, No!” and the excited governor had to hold brake.
Before then, Mrs Ekerebong Akpan, the state Head of Civil Service had in a goodwill message marking the 2018 Workers’ Day introduced the governor thus, “The one who is not owing workers salaries; the one who is not owing pensioners.
“The one who knows when workers are hungry; the one who knows when workers need promotion. The one who has promoted 20,000 workers. Bla, bla, bla”
Without ending her accolades on the “performing” governor, the workers thunderously shouted “No, No, No, No, No, No…” a clear pointer to the fact that the statements were half-truths.
Investigations carried out by Straightnews show that Udom administration has paid retirees gratuity from the state civil service up to October 2015, while payment of pension arrears to some retirees is still pending.
A source from local government service commission confirmed to Straightnews that “Retirees from the state Local Government Service Commission: staffers of the local government service and state primary education board are being owed a backlog of gratuities and pension arrears spanning many years.”
As the jeers were about dying down, the governor further exploded “I want you to see the need to encourage me to re-introduce contributory pension scheme in the civil service. You stand to benefit from the scheme.”
Another bout of jeers greeted the governor’s speech and the atmosphere in the stadium on a sunny afternoon turned chaotic, roiling in roars and hecklings by the workers.
Already, Etim Ukpong, the state chairperson of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Akwa Ibom Chapter had, at the May Day Rally, made persistent call for the refund of 7.5 per cent pension to primary school teachers and some civil servants running into billions, which the state government still gives deaf ears to the plea.
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