Exactly a week ago, civil servants employed by the Imo state government and other categories of workers engaged by both federal and private organizations in the state joined their colleagues in the world to mark the yearly May Day celebrations at the Heroes’ Square venue of the Workers’ Day event.
Unlike in the past celebrations where the event witnessed pomp and pageantry the 2014 episode was not only colourless but also an anti-climax of what a May Day event should have been. Contrary to what was obtained in the past where workers beaming with smiles join the rest of their colleagues to joyfully mark the show, the May1, 2014, Workers Day at Heroes’ Square was uneventual and less attractive, following the near boycott and absence of workers experienced at the event despite the presence of the Chief executive of the state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
The gloomy and uninspiring scenario unarguably could best be described as the by-product of the unsavoury relationship between the state government and workers in the state. The Okorocha administration from the outset no doubt declared intention to exhibit a level of meddlesomeness concerning affairs of the workers.
Ominous signs that the workforce in Imo would witness a chequered history in the reign of Rescue Mission government began during the maiden speech of Governor Rochas Okorocha. In the fancy which he took to dismantle existing democratic and existing structures he met in office before May 29, 2011, the new Imo helmsman acting in a manner reminiscent of the sad years of military dictatorship in Nigeria, sacked the beneficiaries of the 10,000 job workers instituted by his immediate predecessor. In the infamous Monday June 6 inaugural address, which has become a reference point in the state’s history, Okorocha in one full swoop sent packing employed Imo people comprising youths who had been enjoying full employment benefits before he took control at Government House, Owerri.
Initially, the Okorocha government deployed decoy to eliminate the beneficiaries from the civil service when it converted the sack to suspension following protests from the embattled beneficiaries who attempted to disrupt the inauguration of the Third House, Fifth Assembly Imo Stat House of Assembly scheduled for that day. Subsequently, a special committee headed by one of the governor’s aide, Dr Kachi Nwoga, to evaluate and redefine the 10,000 job programme, was set up and the committee reported that about 2000 plus were validly employed under the scheme. What happened to the 10,000 beneficiaries has become history and the report rested in Government House trash bin even as the unfortunate job gainers are still battling their plight in the law courts.
Sharing the same faith with the 10,000 job beneficiaries are other categories of workers serving at the various local government areas of Imo state. After the successful annihilation of the new employees, another surgical operation was carried out on the LGA workforce by mowing down all those employed from 2010. After series of scrutiny and staff verifications, conducted by government agents not less than 3000 persons per LGA in Imo state were sent packing out from the council pay roll and back to the dreaded unemployment market. The act which speaks volume of the governor’s suspected penchant for vengeance affected mostly those employed during the reign of his predecessors, especially Ikedi Ohakim.
In scene two of the suspected “operation pepper Imo workers’, Okorocha attempted to enter the Guinness Books of Records when he came up with another tier of government different from the traditional and formal three-tier government practiced in Nigeria. Again, the state workforce was at the receiving end of the new brand of fourth-tier government experiment by the state government. Before it could get the authorative backing from the Imo State House of Assembly to become operational and bear the baptismal name of Community Government Council, CGC, Okorocha had ordered for the reemployment of all workers from their offices and ministries in Owerri the state capital to their respective autonomous communities. Despite the discordant tunes that trailed the exercise, civil servants were ingloriously redeployed to serve in their localities. Even when the House of Assembly law on CGC streamlined the category of civil servants to be posted to communities, it only took strike threats from the organized labour to checkmate the excesses of the governor on workers welfare after several brickbats on relocation of civil servants to the communities.
The relocation of workers to their respective autonomous communities for the CGC government was another smokescreen used to legalize one of the Rescue Mission government cardinal objectives known as commercialization of civil servant. Okorocha never hesitated to inform the workers that hence forth each ministry was expected to generate enough internal generated revenue to sustain their operations and pay its workers. The new policy not only generated uproar among the workers but also a strong manifestation of the alleged predestined desire of the governor to emasculate the state workforce. Unconfirmed report has it that part of the commercialization policy is the privatization of the state secretariat where they workers are expected to vacate the secretariat to allow private investors take over the premises.
Though, that report is yet to come to pass but it is on record that Orlu Road secretariat which housed some ministries and government establishments have been taken over by a federal government agency. How Federal Medical Centre, Owerri located on Orlu Road went further to annex the whole premises after issuing warning to occupants working for state government ministries and agencies remains a puzzle the Okorocha administration is yet to explain to Imolites. In the same vein, new structures are springing up at the premises of Imo Water Corporation on Okigwe road after the workers were rendered office less following the bulldozing of the old buildings.
Apart from the commercialization policy where veritable government establishments were sold to private operators whose proper identity are shrouded in secrecy, the workers got ripped off in the ensuring implementation of the minimum wage introduced by the federal government after negotiations with the organized labour.
Moments after Okorocha took over, the major money-making government agencies were hurriedly sold to private operators whose identity is still causing ripples in the state as the workers and labour unions of the respective establishments are locked-up in battle. While the relevant down stream sector, Adapalm was sold to Roche and renamed Roche Imo Palm, Concord and Imo Transport Company were handed to ABM group and Ginikana respectively leaving government employed workers to their fate.
The health sector was not left out in the selling spree, the re-christened Imo Specialist Hospital, Umuguma, New Owerri, formerly known as General Hospital and other General Hospitals suffered same fate. The resultant effects were continuous bickering among the embattled workers, private operators and Okorocha government leading to sporadic protests and strikes. The worst hit is ITC, Concord, Imo Specialist Hospital, Imo Water Corporation where they have run out of gas protesting over several months of unpaid salaries and ill treatment from the new management.
The workers of Imo Specialist Hospital which is existing only on signpost. Situated at the entrance gate in the last count were owed nine months until their indefinite strike forced government to clear two months. ITC has turned to another “One Week, One Trouble” business outfit with the premises instead of its usual loading bay status has now become a battle field between the workers and suspected hoodlums hired by the new management to intimidate the agitating stuffers. The ITC workers continued clamour for better working conditions and job security earned have earned them unprecedented assaults and sack letters from the new management.
Joining ITC in the sordid battle to survive in the Rescue Mission administration is staffers of Water Corporation who may have no option to resort to starvation and humiliation in the hands of government.
In his theatrics manner of handling official issues, Okorocha informed Imo workers of his decision to go a step higher in paying the N18,000 minimum wage by agreeing to pay N20,000. No sooner than latter, the state workforce realized that the N20,000 is another grand design to rip them off and down size their entire pay package at the end of every month contrary to what they earned in the past. It was however discovered that the N20,000 was only meant for few low cadre workers who are not many and is not applicable to the generality of the entire workers’ strata. Unfortunately, the entire workforce is paying the supreme price for the so-called N20,000 as they lost other several welfare packages enjoyed in the past payments like Overtime, Leave Allowances, Hazards benefit for Imo Workers in the last dispensation were denied. Instead, monstrous deductions from their pay packets for the much acclaimed Free Education programme became the workers stake in Rescue Mission government. The state workforce is yet to overcome yet another compulsory deduction undertaken by the state government. In line with one of the exclusive reports by Trumpeta about the compulsory identity card project inculcated in the system where workers were levied exorbitant amounts for ID card, monthly deductions on ID card are on. To worsen the plight of the workers, instead of doing an ID card that has street value of mass production for N300, the civil servants are parting with an outrageous amount of N300,000.
I will stop so far, due to lack of space, by next week, the sermon continues on the governor’s interference on retirement of the apex workers, (permanent secretaries) and recent suspension of heads of parastatals. It will also take another look at the irony of substituting 10,000 jobs scheme with another funny 25,000 job programme under the state government Youth-Must-Work-Programme. It is after the commentary, Imolites shall determine if the workers have needed to celebrate the May 6 Freedom Day and reasons for the May Day shenanigans.
