CROSS River State workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as well as the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) on Thursday suspended their 31-day state-wide strike action which had crippled economic and bureaucratic activities in the state since it began on October 12, 2021.
The suspension, which was announced by both the Strike Action Committee via Strike Bulletin number 17, and a press conference addressed by Comrade John Ukpebi, the Cross River State Chairperson of the NLC along with the chairpersons of TUC and JPSNC on Thursday, followed mediation by the Cross River State Traditional Council.
The leadership of the state’s workers stressed that the strike has only been suspended and not called off and that they will watch carefully how the government goes about the implementation of the agreement mediated by the traditional rulers.
The Strike Bulletin reads: “Following the agreement reached with the government, through the mediation of the state Tradition Rulers’ Council, led by HRM Etinyin Etim Okon Edet, the strike action is hereby suspended forthwith.
“The Action Committee, on behalf of the leadership, sincerely appreciates your doggedness and solidarity through the period of the action.
“Be assured of the leadership’s steadfastness in looking out for the welfare of all workers.
“Comrades, every little step taken draws us closer to freedom!”
Comrade Ukpebi, the Cross River State Chairperson of the NLC, while addressing journalists at the State Secretariat of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), stressed that the strike has not been called off but only suspended for the next five months in the hope that the state government will not fail on its part to fulfil the demands of workers.
“There have been grievances upon grievances, this is one of the longest strikes in the history of the state, and this was because of government insensitivity.
“Following the agreement reached with the government, through the mediation of the state Traditional Ruler’s Council, led by HRM Etim Okon Edet, the strike is hereby suspended forthwith.
“The Action Committee, on behalf of the leadership, sincerely appreciates your doggedness and solidarity throughout the period of the action. This is just a suspension and not a call off; we are going to hold on and watch what the government will do between now and five months to see if they are sincere,” Comrade Ukpebi said.
The Chairman of JPSNC, Comrade Godwin Otei, corroborated the claim by the Strike Action Committee and the NLC chairperson, stating that after evaluating the situation of things in the state, organised labour decided to agree to suspend the strike after the Traditional Rulers’ Council in a meeting with government and workers called for peace.
“We have never had it this bad, we were expecting a better Cross River handed over by previous government instead it got worse, every aspect of the lives of Cross Riverians were affected, everything depreciated.
“The hope of retirees and their gratuity became an illusion, we as Civil Servants are seen as pariahs, once you want to get a facility from the bank, and they ask you where you work, if you mention civil servant, you can never get the loan, yet we are buying planes, travelling round the world and now we are planning to buy ships.
“Well, we have agreed to wait for another 5 months to see if the government will fulfil all we have agreed, and we did this in the interest of the people, this will go down as one of the longest strikes in the history of our dear state, as we stayed home for about 31 days,” Comrade Otei said.
Also speaking, the state’s TUC Chairperson, Comrade Monday Ogbodum, stated that the strike was suspended due to the meeting with the TRC which workers have high regards for.
“We have extracted various commitments from government, while they have started implementing some of them already, on issues of implementation of arrears they have started from September.
“We have also extracted commitment from government that from January 1, 2022, the 1,800 persons whose names were removed from the payroll will be returned. More so, the government has also agreed to be keeping 50 million naira monthly for the purpose of gratuity amongst other commitments we have extracted from them.
“Just like NLC and JNC Chairmen have stated, we are not calling off the action, it’s just a suspension, and we shall keep faith with government for five months to see if they are sincere,” Ogbodum said.
