Organized labour in Cross River State which has in the last couple of days engineered a crippling strike action in the state has revealed that plans have been concluded to, from Wednesday next week, July 5, 2017, commence a total strike action to push the Cross River State government into paying a backlog of salaries owed civil servants in the state as well as pay gratuities and pensions owed several retirees among other demands.
The trio of John Ushie, CRS chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Clarkson Otu, state chairman, Trade Union Congress, TUC and Edim Oyongha, chairman, Joint Negotiating Council, JNC, who disclosed this to www.calitown.com further revealed that the impending action will shut down markets, banks, transportation system and other essential services in the state until the NLC’s demands are met. “In solidarity with us, market men and women will shut down all markets, banks will not operate, even flights will be unable to come into the state or fly out until the state government not only demonstrates commitment but actually commences actual payment of entitlements to retirees and civil servants in the state”, Ushie said.
Confronted with the fact that labour in the state which had all this while referred to CRS governor, Ben Ayade as a “labour friendly governor” may be contradicting itself now with its current posture, Otu firmly responded that “if we said he was a labour friendly governor then it was because he was initially paying salaries promptly. Now that he has changed, we are not afraid to say the opposite.”
It remains to be seen if labour will be able to pull through with the planned total strike action next week.