Labour demands sack of C’River SSG

*Govt workers shun strike, resume work
The organised labour in Cross River state has demand for the sack of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barrister Tina Banku Agbor. The group accused the SSG of lacklustre and refusal to relay the agreement reached between the state government and the organised labour to the Civil Service commission (CSC) and other relevant agencies for implementation.

This came two weeks after the agreement that led to the labour suspending their strike on the 30th of May, 2017 was signed. With Labour alleging that, the SSG has tactically refused to transmit a letter to the CSC rescinding Government decision on the suspended promotion exercise for Civil/Public Servants.

In the nutshell, the organised labour also quoted in one of their bulletin numbered, Bulletin 4/2017 that, the state governor, Senator Professor Ben Ayade, has given assurance that whoever stands between the implementation of Government/Labour agreement this time around shall be held responsible.

The labour also noted that, a similar letter by the SSG was sent to the CSC, stopping promotional exercise without formal approval. Now, she’s insisting on the Governor’s approval, even when she was one of the signatories to the agreement on government side.

This has made the labour to demand for the removal of the SSG, insisting, she must go. The organised labour has also frowned at the alleged breaching of the agreement by the SSG which led to the union directing their workers to remain at home until the needful is done.

However, some section of labour have shunned the stay at home order and resumed work at their respective ministries and government paratatals. These workers defiled labour threat and commenced work in their Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) saying that they do not know what the organized labour wants.

Our findings revealed that workers of MDAs, including Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC), Cross River Signage and Advertisements Agency (CRISAA), Cross River State College of Health Technology (COTECH) and Governor’s Office are on their duty posts.

Others are, Cross River Tax Regulatory Agency (CTRA), Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), Cross River State Institute of Technology and Management (ITM), Ministry of New Cities Development, Cross River Tourism Bureau and the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on NGOs and Community based Organisations.

Meanwhile, some MDAs still stuck to the circular signed by the action committee of the organised labour and did not resume work at their various offices.

“These MDAs includes; Ministry of Information, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Sustainable Development and Social Welfare”

Others are Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau, Nigerian Chronicle, Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA), Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC). Others are, All the MDAs in Michael Ani’s (Old) Secretariat, All MDAs in New State Secretariat”

Also, MDAs, including, Cross River State Water Board Limited (CRSWBL), Cross River State Development and Management Institute, High Court, and Centre for Tropical Diseases. Irrespective of Ministry of Environment closing their office entrance, workers were seen felling trees at No. 1 Barracks Road by 11-11 Roundabout to keep the environment clean.

Interestingly, some side of the High Court was open too. From our views, it therefore shows that some members of the organised labour have been compromised as stated by the Bulletin 4/2017, which quotes thus:

“It has become necessary to inform you that after successful Agreement between Govt/Organised Labour that led to the shelving of the planned strike on 30th May, 2017, some officials of Govt has constituted themselves as a cog in the wheel of progress”.

The Organised Labour who said the strike is indefinite, has also debunked the rumours that they rejected the promotional calculations by the Head of Service or Commissioner for Finance.