The harsh economic condition hitting the states will soon begin to 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.
