Civil servants in Imo State have threatened to embark on an industrial action if the state government fails to pay them their month of March salaries within seven days.
Leaders of the workers’ unions, Austin Chilakpo, Nkim Tangban and Aloy Iwuanyanwu, said in a statement on Wednesday that state government’s inability to pay the salaries despite appeal was unfair.
According to the workers, the security agencies in the state should not hold leaders of the union responsible should they decide to stage a protest.
The workers said the state government had enough fund to pay civil servants and pensioners.
The statement reads, “Your Excellency Sir, the leadership of Labour in the state have made frantic efforts to see that the salaries of Imo workers for the month of March 2019 is paid through the office of the Accountant General and have not yielded any result.
“All reasons given as to why the salaries are yet to be paid is watery and as such, not acceptable to Imo workers.
“More worrisome is the fact that the March 2019 Federal Allocation has hit the account of the state government.
“Apart from this, Imo State Government has received the LGA allocation for the 27 LGAs in the state, 13% derivation fund, ecological fund, internally generated revenue and many more.
“Therefore, the continuous delay in the payment of workers’ salaries becomes unjustified.
“More worrisome also is the fact that we shall soon enter into the Easter season, which the workers need this salary for.
“The money set aside for the payment of pensioners should be used for the purpose it is meant for.
They are human beings and as such should celebrate the Easter too.
“Your Excellency Sir, we have done our best to calm the workers and as it stands now, we can no longer control them, hence this ultimatum.
“We therefore call on the State Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security Services and all other security agencies to prevail on the government to pay Imo workers their salaries and pensioners their outstanding.
“We cannot guarantee any industrial peace if government fails to do the needful. Labour leaders in Imo State should not be held responsible for any outbreak of industrial unrest.
“Government should make use of the seven days given to her to pay the workers and pensioners unfailingly.”
PUNCH
