GLITZ TV
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BY DOMINIC KIDZU
I told a friend at the weekend that the strike action by workers in Cross River State was not going to go ahead. I was sure that the governor wasn’t going to let that happen, since our governor was the one who led the South/South region to agree the N70, 000 cap. But it’s now clear that I counted my chickens before they were hatched. Now the workers are well and truly on a warning strike over a minimum wage that the National Assembly has already made into a law.
The story is that members of the committee the governor set up to “negotiate” the wage cap have disagreed amongst themselves and the team representing the workers walked out of the talks. I actually find it curious that there had to be a committee to negotiate the minimum wage in the first place. Negotiate what, when there is already a minimum wage that has even been passed into law. Are the civil servants not in the position to undertake the consequential adjustments, grade level by grade level?
For the avoidance of doubt Cross River is not such a barren state that should negatively throw itself up as the only sub-national that is unable to pay the minimum wage, even when several other states are already paying between eight or ten thousand naira above the minimum wage. The removal of subsidy on oil brought in more money to the states and after the minimum wage was agreed upon the federal government said it increased more funding for the states. This state will do better sending out more positive messages, not the story that it is the only state in the federation that is unable to pay the national minimum wage. I’m not aware of anything that has happened that should turn Cross River into the unfortunate cripple of the federation.
They don’t have money to pay workers but they had money to buy cars for all the elected,chairmen ,vice chairmen and counsellors immediately after their inauguration. There is God that will judge our CRS leaders
When a governor who came to power on the mantra of “People first” , all of a sudden turns around to be “self first” and “people last’, it is saddening that the people, which civil servants are part of, are made to suffer like this amidst the increaae in federal allocatiom and increase in the state IGR as confessed by the governor himself.
We are wondering what he will use in 2027 when he will come again cap in hand to solicit for a second term.
We are waiting…..