Government activities were literally paralyzed in most government offices across Imo State when civil servants kick started their planned strike action which began yesterday.
Late last week, the organised labour after a meeting of its leaders agreed to embark on strike action to show resentment to state government’s insensitivity to welfare of the workers in Imo.
Apart from salary arrears, the state workers are protesting undue deductions from their monthly pay package as well as frivolous deductions from their statutory incomes.
At most government offices, from the state secretariats in Port Harcourt roads to schools and parastatals in the state visited, all office entrance doors are under key and lock to ensure the strike has its desired effects.
Our reporter who went round Owerri and environs on Monday revealed that the state secretariat, on Port Harcourt road was completely locked as labour leaders insisted that all the unpaid salaries must be cleared before the workers will come back.
“Okorocha will come and bring us back to work form our various Houses only by paying our salaries till date”, a worker who came on sympathy visit to the labour leaders enthused.
Some workers who were ignorant of the new development were forced out from their various offices to join the strike action.
School Teachers, parastatals, government agencies and local government staff were forced to join the strike to protest against the ill treatment shown on them by the state Government.
The school children were spotted roaming about the streets of Owerri while appealing to those in authority to pay their teachers for them to come back to work
Business activities were paralised as school children also resolved to block roads , even some faction of labour went on demonstration to show their grievances and to drive home their demand.
Governor Okorocha’s security outfits were dispatched to strategic places to monitor the action of workers as they go round the state to protest.
One of the labour leaders who spoke to our reporter under strict anonymity disclosed that the union leaders held series of meetings last week and agreed to embark on strike since the Governor insisted that he will pay only a month instead of paying all the accumulated salaries.
Our source revealed that the labour leaders ignored Governor Rochas Okorocha call to restrain action before and going ahead with the strike.
Meanwhile, a mild drama erupted at the premises of the Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, where the intervention of NLC Chairman, Comrade Chilakpu and his monitoring team saved would have been a brawl between government officials and workers of the state owned media organization.
In line with the spirit of the demonstration, IBC workers joined forcing Orient FM off air. worker of IBC , a government parastatals and their pensioners have not been paid salary arrears for over four months.
The workers had closed the station’s gate on Akachanwa road thereby stopping the station from broadcasting. The action may have irked the state government who sent Imo Security Network, ISN, operatives to storm the radio/TV house.
Despite their intimidating presence and chicanery, IBC staffers rebuffed them.
In the process, labour leaders arrived and warned the government security outfit about the implication of their action in trying to force the gate open. At that point, the government team left and drove away.
Reacting on the matter, Okorocha through his media aide Sam Onwuemedo noted that on Monday July 6, 2015, the state government and members of the organized labour had met and agreed that the few months outstanding workers’ salaries in the state would be paid up to the month of June, with both parties also agreeing that the payment would be subject to the availability of the bail-out fund.“Part of the agreement also was that where the bailout fund is not sufficient, the labour leaders and the government would meet to take decision on the next step to take. It is against the backdrop of these agreements that the state government feels disappointed with the 5-day warning strike which the workers in the state have embarked upon now because the truth of the matter is that the bailout fund has not come. We had earlier made such clarification and the situation is still like that.
“The labour leaders would have done their investigation to see whether the government is saying the truth or not, with the issue of the bailout fund. Even when the governors in the country had, at the end of the meeting of their forum told Nigerians that the bailout fund had not been given.
“To the state government, the 5-day warning strike is uncalled for. It is not justifiable especially when it is on record that the Rescue Mission Government in the state had never owed workers before now.
“We ask for understanding on the part of Imo workers. The state government does not wish to owe any worker in the state.
“Already, the governor who had severally met with the workers on the way forward, will meet with them again on Wednesday to also deliberate in an atmosphere of conviviality on how to get the matter resolved” the statement added.
Last minute information revealed that Okrocoah may head to court to request Judicial option qwhich will see the judiciary asking workers to resume work
