Reactions trail workers planned one-week warning strike in Benue

As workers in Benue state are set to embark on a one week warning strike commencing tomorrow to press for the payment of their salary arrears, mix reactions have trailed the development which some viewed as badly timed.

Given reasons as to why the warning strike must be rescinded, a retired civil servant, Pa Akpatu Ogehe, who though is yet to receive his gratuity, observed that the strike is ill timed because the time some of them whom are affected were desperately seeking for strike, union leaders were busy enjoying with government.

“That was when I noticed that government was eating the Bail Out funds the federal government released to clear our backlog of our arrears. But no one listens to me. Now, Benue state government has squandered all the available financial assistant the federal government gave them.

“The state government keeps acknowledging receipt of the funds from the federal government but the purpose for which it was meant was not achieved. From Bail Out to Paris Club Funds to borrowing all went down the conduit pipe.

“Now we are told to embark on strike will this government get the funds to pay us. It is too late to go on strike….it is ill time. All government will do now is to plead with us to call the strike. No, it is not realistic. Or are our leaders embarking on the strike so that government should divert the funds the federal government is about releasing to address the menace of flood disaster?”, Pa Ogehe reeled pessimistically.

The state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Godwin Anya, and that of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Orduen Tartenger after a state council meeting declared a one – week warning strike which is to commence Tuesday, September 5, 2017 and end on Wednesday, September 13.

Reacting to the development while speaking to newsmen in Makurdi, Governor Samuel Ortom advised the workers to reconsider their decision bur look at the reality on ground
since the payment of salaries is not peculiar in Benue but a problem that has affected other states including even those that receive 13% derivation from the federal government.

“The challenge we are facing about payment of salaries is not just in Benue State, other states too are also affected, even states that receive 13% derivation are also affected we need understanding, we need dialogue, we need to appreciate one another, we need to understand that this thing is not deliberate, so this meeting is meant to explain to the workforce that yes they’ve been going through pains, we appreciate that fact as someone with the fear of God, I believe that a labourer deserves his wages.”

It could be recalled that about three months ago, the Benue State government declared state of emergency on salary payment and planned to seek funds or acquire funds from any source, through borrowing, various interventions and also do proper screening to expunge irregularities in the issues salaries. According to the governor, he has been able to reduce wage bill to N7.8 billion monthly from the N8.2 he inherited and implemented the minimum wage to primary school teachers.

Governor Ortom’s appeal has ignited anger from the workers who accused him of diverting financial interventions released to him to clear the issue of workers’ wages in the stae since he came to power more than two years ago.

They rejected the governor’s appeal which was based on the prevailing economic situation in the country and paucity of funds to meet their demands was not cogent enough for them to shelve the idea of strike.

Speaking to Daily Times, NLC Chairman, Comrade Godwin Anya pointed out that “we noted that the statutory allocation from the federal account has not stopped coming to the state not to mention IGR, the supplementary support coming from the federal government under various sub-heads, namely, Bailout Funds, Paris Club Refund, Stabilization Funds etc.”

“We appeal to governor to implement the state of Emergency which he had declared to pay salaries, pensions and gratuity to state/local government workers and pensioners. We equally appealed to good spirited individuals, stakeholders and general public to prevail on the state government to implement the declaration of the state of emergency on payment of salaries, pensions and gratuity and directed all workers in the state to proceed on the warning strike accordingly,” Anya insisted.

Freddie Adamgbe, Makurdi