Labour Leaders Have Sold- Out -- Imo Workers Lament

The cloud of total show down is gradually gathering in the Imo State work force as the Imo Civil Servants are now singing discordant tunes from that of the leadership of the Imo State joint Public Service Negotiating Council.

The crux of the matter is the recent policy of the Owelle-led administration to slash the take home package of its workers, a decision which did not go down well with the workers even though government propaganda machinery had earlier denied that the state government has no intention of doing such.

Not too long ago the Imo State House of Assembly workers rejected their slashed month of May salaries. The slashing was by 50%. The Nigeria union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) also resented to the policy.

The workers did not fold hands to watch events unfold as they decided to carry out wide and in-depth investigation as to the cause of their woes. They traced the entire affair to betrayal by their apex labour leaders.
Some workers who spoke to Trumpeta on condition of anonymity said the Mrs Ogini-led Joint Public Service Negotiating Council has sold out. “If they have not been settled why haven’t they come out with a clear cut statement?”, an aggrieved worker queried.

Another intoned that Mrs Ogini who came from the National Association for Nigeria Nurses and midwives to occupy the leadership position is being remote controlled by the state government through the instrumentality of the outgone chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council, Nze Aharanwa. The aggrieved worker said Mrs Ogini was always seen visiting Nze Aharanwa who is currently the principal secretary to the Deputy Governor for consultations.

A frontline labour unionist who is not of the apex body told Trumpeta that such silence would not have been maintained if Comrade Coleman Okwara was incharge. But he was victimized and sent on transfer far north. He would have spoken out.
The unionist revealed, “We have laid our labour mine for the JNC leadership and it will blow up in no distant time because they have betrayed us, our labour mine is strike”.

-Trumpeta