“If you didn’t (sic) go to work, not only that I will not pay you salary, but I will replace you…”
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has vowed to sack any worker who fails to report to his duty post within the next 72 hours.
Mr Nwifuru was reacting to the strike declared by workers in the state based on a directive by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Speaking at a media parley with journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital, the governor vowed to pay workers based on the number of days they work in a month.
He said he has directed heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to open attendance registers for workers.
The Strike
Mr Nwifuru was reacting to the one-week strike embarked upon by the state’s chapter of the NLC following a directive from the union’s national headquarters.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the NLC had directed its state chapters to commence strike on 1 December in states where the governors failed to pay the agreed N70,000 minimum wage and appropriate adjustments for other workers.
The Ebonyi NLC had written to the governor, announcing its plan to embark on the strike from Monday. On Monday, the strike crippled activities at the state secretariat.
The NLC accused the governor of unilaterally awarding workers a wage instead of a minimum wage. It described the decision as unacceptable, saying it is not standard practice in labour/government relations.
The NLC argued that when a minimum wage is declared, it undergoes a rigorous process of consequential adjustments that will translate into an agreement signed by both the government and the labour union.
However, the governor expressed dismay that the letter, which he was yet to read, leaked online on Monday morning.
He said that not only will he not pay the striking workers but he will also sack anyone who doesn’t report to work in the next 72 hours.
“If you didn’t (sic) go to work, not only that I will not pay you salary, but I will replace you within 72 hours in your office if I didn’t see you in your office,” Mr Nwifuru told journalists.
“As far as I am not guilty. I am not owing you and I am paying you what is supposed to be paid. And according to agreement and constitution, I am not owing you. If you didn’t go to work within 72 hours, I will replace you.
“I have called the chairman, civil service commission. I have directed all the commissioners to go to their offices. All the agencies, all the departments of government must be in their offices and record the people that come to work.
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“And that is the people I will pay through table payment: by the number of days you attend to your duty in your office. If you don’t want to come to work, you will forget about (working for the) state government,” he said.
The governor argued that the minimum wage law only stipulates that the least paid worker must receive a minimum wage of N70,000 and does not state the adjustments that should be made for other categories of workers.
He said the Ebonyi government does not pay anyone below the minimum wage and has implemented an increment for other grades of workers.
However, the thrust of the NLC’s grudge is that the increment for other categories of workers was done without negotiations and agreement with the labour union.
Mr Nwifuru accused the Ebonyi NLC of not telling its members the truth and of embarking on the strike despite the welfare packages he has implemented for workers.
Strike Ongoing
PREMIUM TIMES observed that most civil servants in the state adhered to the strike called by the NLC.
The Ochudo Secretariat and the old Government House Abakaliki looked like ghost communities when our correspondent visited on Monday as most workers did not turn up for work.
The NLC Chairman in the state, Ogugua Egwu, said the strike recorded 90 per cent compliance despite the late release of the circular on Sunday evening.
