LABOUR Yuletide: TUC berates FG over fuel scarcity Cross River broadcast workers lock up bosses over salaries
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has decried the persistent fuel scarcity affecting major cities across the country, saying it has made it difficult for Christians to travel to visit their loved ones this Christmas season.
TUC stated this in a statement issued yesterday by its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and Secretary General, Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi.
The statement read in part: “Travelling is a microcosmic component of the Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, it has become almost impossible for people to visit their loved ones because of the yearly hike of price of fuel. Sometimes one wonders why everything that tends to bring joy to the ordinary masses are always denied them. Every Christmas season the price of fuel must hit the roof and nobody will say anything let alone do something about it, irrespective of the ripple effect it will have on other commodities, especially food.”
TUC noted that the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ should exude peace and happiness and not pain and agony. It said rice, the common staple food for the celebration, had become unaffordable thereby worsening the misery of Nigerians.
“Millions of jobs have been lost and even those working are still earning what they used to earn when the dollar was N150. Inflation rate is alarming. These are the causes of the gross insecurity in the land,” the statement said.
The union appealed to Nigerians to shun violence and “the spell of discouragement cast by state governors who, having shared two tranches of the Paris Fund and other windows opened to enable them pay salaries upto-date, still deny workers their entitlements.
“Our leaders should bear in mind that it is inhuman to deny people, nay workers, their right to decent existence this time without money to buy food. This is absolutely unacceptable.” Contract workers and artistes of the Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC), over the weekend, locked the main gate leading into the premises of the organisation for several hours, preventing the General Manager, Mrs. Theresa Essien, and other key managers from leaving the premises.
The workers seized the opportunity of the Christmas party organised by the corporation for children to protest non-payment of their three months salaries and refusal to give them Christmas packages.
Some of the artistes and contract workers said they were paid only N7000 each month, adding that for three months now the corporation had not paid them, whereas other workers who earned more were not owed.
“Many of us here have worked here for close to seven years, others upward of 15 years. Yet we are not appreciated. Others like me receive N7000 per month as salary. They are not mentioning anything for us for Christmas, whereas others, not contract staff, have since been paid. Is this not apartheid which Nigeria fought against. We are suffering. Most of us are family men. What do we tell our children this Christmas?,” one of them who pleaded anonymity said.
CRBC GM, Mrs. Essien, was quoted as saying that the contract staff were overreacting, but that the management would soon pay up all outstanding allowances.
Last month, cleaners and other very junior workers in the governor’s office protested over backlog of salary arrears.
“They do not give us any regards. They would usually withhold our pay even when the governor had authorised same to be paid. They can owe us as much as three months,” a cleaner said.
Many civil servants in the state said although the governor attempted to pay workers every month, this did not go round all government offices and departments.