By Uwakmfon Dan
The Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has demanded that 723 Workers of the Local Government Service Commission, sacked by the State Government, be reinstated.
The union said the action of the state government was totally condemnable and unacceptable.
The Chairman of NLC in the state, Comrade Sunny James, who led a rally to the premises of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, on Monday, to mark this year's World Decent Work Day, said of the 723 workers, 93 had their salaries terminated, without any notice.
"There are 723 workers in the Local Government Service Commission who were relieved of their duties in the salaries of July 2019. What we are saying is that massive retrenchment of workers and stoppage of salaries of workers who were already members of the Union, without notice of the Union is totally condemnable and unacceptable.
"93 of them employed by the Local Government Service Commission. They have been receiving salaries since 2016, but we are surprised that their salaries have been stopped without any notice. We have written a letter to His Excellency, that the actions be reconsidered, that those persons be returned to work", he said.
The NLC Chairman also wondered how the recent recruitment by the Local Government Service Commission, which according to him, saw Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) being issued by the state Accountant General, be described as illegal by government.
"We have been told that the process was illegal. That is what we don't understand, because the Accountant General of the state was the one who give out Pins and BVN. Without any notice, how can that recruitment exercise suddenly become illegal?", he queried.
Other complaints listed by the Labour Leader included illegal sack of workers at Jubilee Syringe Factory, non payment of gratuities and pensions to retired primary school teachers and local government workers.
He also urged the state government to implement the 30% minimum wage earlier endorsed by the Federal Government, as other states have done same and the Assembly Service Commission, to pay the 35% legislative allowance, to staff of the Assembly.
Responding, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, vowed that the House will look into the issues raised by the NLC, but however advised the union to officially forward a petition to the House, so their grievances can be addressed critically.
It would be recalled that the State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, had in a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, recently, suspended the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Sir Valentine Attah over an alleged involvement in an authorised recruitment of persons into the Unified Local Government Service.
The state government also terminated the appointments of those who benefited from the said recruitment exercise.
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