claim casualties with workers in government parastatals in Imo State
becoming victims.
Sinister signals that workers in parastatals in Imo State are likely
going to forfeit their salary arrears emerged after the
representatives of the state government and labour unions issued a
communiqué at the end of the meeting held on Monday 6th July, 2015 at
Government House, Owerri.
The various parastatals are owed three to seven months salary arrears
since Okorocha took over reins of power in 2011.
In the paragraph three of the agreement where the secretary to the
state Government Sir Jude Ejiogu leading the head of service,
Callistus Ekenze for government side, labour and the government
reviewed the issue of parastatals where it was agreed that June 2015
salaries alone will be paid, while the outstanding balance of the
previous months will be spread for a period of six months.
However, the later part of the agreement in the concluding part of the
paragraph added that "if, however, the economic situation continues to
be unfavourable, Government and Labour will meet to review the
matter".
Trumpeta learnt that the concluding part of the agreement which was
also endorsed by labour leaders including the NLC chairman, and
secretary, JNC chairman and secretary, TUC chairman and secretary as
well as NULGE chairman present at the meeting was an indirect means by
the state government to avoid paying the outstanding arrears owed the
workers.
This newspaper gathered that the pay to start from June was a well
designed formula the state government has employed to cancel all
outstanding salary arrears and allowances workers of parastatals are
claiming government is owing them. The review is said to be a wishful
thinking as the government is beginning on a clean state which is June
2015.
It would be recalled that workers in some parastatals like Imo Water
Corporation, IWC, IWADA, Statesman Newspapers, IBC and others are yet
to receive their salaries up to date.
Another tactics employed by the state government to forgo the payment
of arrears is the planned self-sustaining agenda of the Okorocha
government which was also reflected in the agreement with the labour.
According to the details as enshrined in the agreement, the
"parastatals should be fully commercialized to make them more
productive"
The document in Trumpeta's possession also stated that immediate
pension Audit be carried out to ascertain the actual number of
pensioners and amount payable adding that "Government and labour
therefore agreed to commence payment of pensioners by the month of
July 2015 when the audit exercise must have been completed. It was
also agreed that the outstanding pensions for the previous months will
be spread for a period of 36 months from August 1, 2015"
Interestingly, the retired permanent secretaries using their
association has not only kicked against the development but described
it as "shocking and unbelievable that the so called agreement was
reached according to the communiqué to spread the payment of owed
pension to Imo State pensioners for 36 months".
Despite earlier press conference indicating that it would be suicidal
going for another audit with empty stomachs, a statement from their
secretariat noted that the conditions are not acceptable since they
were not represented at the said meeting.
According to the release "we were not represented at the said meeting
and we do not understand the forces that led to the agreement against
the Nigerian constitution and the pensions Act. Especially as every
senior Civil Servant is expected to know that pension is the first
change on the consolidated fund of the state"
Explaining further the pensioners said "Section 210(2) of the Federal
Constitution 1999 as amended provides "Any benefit to which a person
is entitled in accordance with or under such a law as is referred to
in subsection (1) of this section shall not be withheld or altered to
his disadvantage except to such an extent as is permissible under any
law, including the code of conduct." These are the exact wordings of
section 190(2) of the 1979 constitution so every Public Officer or
labour union officer ought to be familiar with the provision.
"It is therefore amazing that such unpatriotic, illegal and
unconstutional agreement would be reach in respect to pensioners'
rights in Imo State. The agreement is therefore unacceptable to the
Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries of Imo State.
"The Imo State Government and leaders of the organized labour in Imo
State should withdraw the agreement and settle, without further
subjecting the pensioners to indignity and miserable death threat ,
the outstanding pension benefited .
The communique talks about pensioners Audit. This is very strange in
view of the fact that the pensioners were retired by Imo Government
who issued them the papers; the Government is demanding copies of.
Does a pensioner cease to be a pensioner if his papers are lost? Is it
not The Government who will replace those papers? Why is Imo
Government determined to quicken the death of Imo State pensioners by
constant harassment?
"We call on Imo Government to allow pensioners some peace and always
to pay them as and when due in accordance with the Federal Republic of
Nigeria Constitution 1999 as amended", the statement added.
-Trumpeta
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