The organised labour unions in Ebonyi State have called on the State government to urgently review the salaries of civil and public servants in the State.
Labour’s demand is contained in a joint address presented by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) during the 2022 Workers’ Day celebration, which was read by Mr. Leonard Nkah, chairman of NLC in Ebonyi on Sunday in Abakaliki.
Labour commended state government for the recent release of workers promotion interview and regular payment of monthly salaries,but regretted that the take home pay of the Ebonyi workers were no longer sustainable.
Labour, therefore, called for a salary review to enable workers cope with present economic realities.
“The take home pay no longer take workers home and we are therefore calling for urgent review of workers salaries to cope with the existing economic realities.”
Labour also urged the Ebonyi Government to approve implementation of conversion and advancement of workers who were due and qualified with requisit credentials to fill existing vacancies.
According to the workers, conversion, advancement and promotion of workers in the civil service if not implemented, the vacancies created will affect the wheel of service.
They urged Governor Dave Umahi to immediately approve the implementation of conversion, advancement and promotion of civil servants who are due and qualified.
He said: “In the public service, in the authorised establishment of the budget of every year, vacancies are created for the conversion, advancement and promotion of workforce and if not implemented, vacancies created will continue to affect the wheel of service.
“Therefore, Your Excellency, in order to complement your efforts in keeping the service alive for optimum productivity, there is need for immediate approval of conversion, advancement of workers who are due in the authorised budget establishment of 2022 for optimal productivity.”
On the seizure of salaries of administrative heads of government ministries, agencies and departments implicated in the recent Gen 35 saga, the organised labour appealed to the governor to forgive the affected workers to avoid infflicting more pains to innocent ones.
Labour said that investigation revealed that 90 per cent of manual type-writers used in offices incharge of issuance of Gen 35 were either dysfunctional or not available.
“We condemn any funny activities of any worker. We plead with your Excellency to forgive all administrative heads found culpable in the act and pay them accordingly to avoid inflicting unjust injury to their families as their loved ones depend on their salaries to survive,” Nkah said.
The organised labour further called on the state government to release the results of the recruitment exercise carried out in 2021 to address the unemployment problem in the state.
It expressed concern that another administration might jettison the exercise if the process was not concluded by the present administration.
The workers further pledged unalloyed support to the presidential ambition of Umahi stressing that workers of the state would give solidarity to the governor to ensure that the dream of Nigeria president of Igbo extraction was realised in 2023.
