2023 Workers day in Abia State was celebrated under low key by the two factions of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC in the state with a plea to the state government to pay workers and pensioners their salaries and pension arrears.
The two factions headed by Comrade Uchenna Obigwe of Medical and Health Workers Union, MHWU and Comrade Eze Idima of National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE.
The Comrade Eze Idima-led faction highlighted the arrears to include “ABSUTH – 25 months, HMB – 11 months, Abia Polytechnic Aba – 24 months, College of Arochukwu – 28 months, ASUBEB – primary (one and half month), (JSS – 11 months), LG workers, Health authorities – 2 and half months, Abia College of Health and Science Technology – 2 months, and Pensioners – 9 – 36 months”, he highlighted stating “workers and their families are passing through difficult times”.
His Vice, Hope Ekwuruibe said “we decided to have this year’s Workers Day in a low key as a result of the realities of the moment”, disclosing that instead of the usual fanfare, “we opted for a symposium based on the theme of the 2022 workers Day”, which is “Labour, Politics, Good Governance and development in Nigeria”.
“This theme is apt, particularly, with the state of economy of Nigeria and its effect on the welfare of the people. With 2023 elections around the corner, this is a period of stock taking”.
According to him, “the state of affairs of payment of salaries and allowances, pension and gratuity of the workers and pensioners in the public service”, require Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his government’s attention.
The pleaded with the governor to pay special attention to the plight of pensioners, 2017 to2021 annual leave allowances, implement promotion exercise and pay arrears of promotions, pay CONHESS to workers of LG Health authorities, to consider suspended newly recruited LG wokers of 2019 and 2020, and Abia health Insurance Scheme among others.
Also speaking with newsmen later, Obigwe said “We did this year’s May Day, low key. NLC is not celebrating May Day as the state government ordered for low key, coupled with covid-19 and insecurity” and to prevent hoodlums from causing mayhem using the opportunity.
He said that going by the subsisting court order, that he remains the state chairman of NLC in Abia state, that any other faction posing as state NLC is illegal, while the security agencies have been served with the court orders, so as to enable them check any impersonation NLC leadership in the state.
He enjoined the State Government to endeavor to pay areas of salaries, adding “We appreciate government for paying salaries” and the area they are owing, like in ABSUTH, HMB, Abia Poly, secondary school teachers. “Government should ensure they clear areas of pensions and gratuity before they leave office” in 2023. “We only did it only by NLC, low key and no marching”, he pointed out.
He also tasked Ikpeazu to settle all outstanding areas of pensions and gratuities before he leaves office, stating that though he is doing well on roads infrastructure, “workers have to be alive to ply on the roads. It is the living that will ply the roads”.
In his reaction, the state chairman of Joint negotiating council, JNC and state chairman, Nigeria Civil Service Union, NSCU Comrade Innocent Ekwenye described the 2022 May Day celebration as “thanksgiving service” to pray to God.
During the last NLC elections in the state, Obigwe had lost his bid to get re-elected for the second time, while Idima was alleged to have won, after which Obigwe obtained a court injunction against Idima, stopping him from parading himself as the authentic state chairman of Labour.
Because of the subsisting court order, Obigwe still occupies the state secretariat of Labour in the state, where he addressed his executives.
Invariably afraid of security and the advice by the state government that the celebration should be low key, coupled with the court order, all factions obeyed.
Originally planned to hold at the Mater Dei Cathedral in Umuahia, the Idima-led faction adjusted their venue to the catholic Kolpin Society for a solemn church service without the usual fanfare associated with the event in the past
Conscious of the court order, the Comrade Eze Idima who has the backing of the Trade Union Congress, TUC and Joint Negotiating Council, JNC was not at the church service and brief May Day celebration.
