Workers in some state owned establishments are in for hard times this period as they might wait longer than necessary before receiving their May 2012 salaries.
According to reports reaching Imo Trumpeta, the various ministries parastatals and agencies staffers were issued with bounced cheques for this month end salaries. When the cheques were taken to the affected banks in the state, (names withheld), the state workers were informed that the cheques were dud ones and cannot be cashed till money enters government coffers.
The action of the state government to pay the workers with dud cheques is causing uneasy calm and anxiety among civil servants in the state. The action is in contrast to the promise of Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha who promised to pay the workers before the 25th of every month end.
Reactions emanating from workers of the affected parastatals and agencies, indicate that this might be a way of keeping them quiet even when their agencies have been raking in revenues for the government after the commercialization programme in the state ministries.
In a similar development, some workers of the sports ministry were last week seen gathering in batches discussing the issue of their salary arrears of last month which was not complete even after the ministry have been generating revenues as mandated by the state government. Some of the workers were asking the where about of the revenue that has been generated so far, stating that it will be enough to complete their outstanding arrears.
Mr John Okere in one of the departments lamented the precarious situation this delay has caused in his family as feeding and payment of his children’s university fees are yet to be taken care of.
A women who works in one of the lucrative ministries was almost in tears about the bounced cheque. The pregnant woman stated that she needed enough cash to cater for her health and family problems.
