Reports from Imo Broadcasting Corporation IBC, owners of Orient FM and TV have it that the management has disengaged more than 80 contract staff in their books despite owing some of them up to 12 months’ salary.

With some contract staff yet to receive their January 2020 payments, the management skipped to March payment with reasons that some of them have received their January and February salaries through advance payments.

Although some members of the group are yet to receive both January and the said March payment, they have been protesting internally, meeting with the management to find the best way to resolve the issue.

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According to some members of the group, the management has been unfair to them. One of them speaking to www.otowngist.com said the management is playing a smart game with them by giving them unrealistic options.

After a meeting with the management of the Corporation led by the Acting Director General Barr. Ezekiel Opara, the group revealed that they were verbally sacked without letters.

According to them, the management gave them three options

  1. Stay off for four months, while the corporations work out the ways to pay them.
  2. Stay for the four months and receive stipends slashed up to 50%
  3. Stay out entirely and never come back, while the corporations work out the ways to pay them.

They revealed that despite receiving the notice verbally, they have been mandated to put whichever options they will be taking in writing.

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“I just wonder what the DG who is a barrister is afraid of. Why didn’t they write these things. Why didn’t they paste it somewhere as a notice the way they normally do. I feel they are playing a smart one on us. They don’t want to be held responsible for whatever happens in the coming months and that is so funny coming from a corporation like IBC”, one of the contract staff said.

Beyond being owed down to January 2020 salaries, another section of the group still has four months dud cheque handed to them during the time of Gov. Rochas Okorocha, bringing it the figure up to 12 months of nonpayment.

With the management of the corporation on a crossroad, being under investigation by a panel set up by Gov. Hope Uzodinma, their hands are tied as they try to increase their internally generated revenue, which they use in paying the contract staff.

An inside source has it that the group is planning a protest in coming days and are out to do everything possible to get their money and also secure a place as permanent staff of the corporation which is part of the initial promise that brings everyone to the cadre of Contract Staff.