Strike imminent in Cross River over N19 billion bailout fund

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is worried over Cross River State’s silence on the N19 billion bailout funds it received from the Federal Government and the Paris club excess crude refund.

NLC yesterday picketed the office of the Head of Service and the Ministry of Local Government Affairs alleging that over half of the workers in the state and the local government civil service and pensioners are being owed between one and seven months salaries.

Commenting on the action, the State Chairman of NLC, Comrade John Ushie, yesterday said, “We are here on picketing and after three days, if government cannot complete this payment we are going to review the picketing action and we shall declare a full fledge strike. It is pathetic that some workers have died while some have lost children and some are bed ridden.

“Moneys have been released to all states and for Cross River, we have arrears of salary, pension, gratuity. That amount should be used to settle the outstanding.’’

Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Clarkson Out said, “We started the picketing from Tuesday. Quite a number of workers have not received salaries running to eight months. We have done a number of communications with the ministry of local government yet nothing , except promises that the situation will be corrected, instead it is worsening”.

Reacting, the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. John Ollafor, said, “Staff salaries up to December have been paid but there are some few omitted names due to wrong account numbers and we are correcting them.

‘’On the N7 billion bailout fund and the N11 billion Paris fund, he said, “I don’t have any answer to those ones, those are state government matters, I don’t know anything about bailout funds but I know that I am paying salaries from the federation account for now.”