CAC staff shut down business activities over salary arrears

The Union protested non implementation of the agreement reached between the union and the government since 2013

The amalgamation union of public corporations, civil service, technical and recreation service employees (AUPTRE) Corporate Affairs Commission’s branch, on Monday afternoon shut down the Commission’s office in Abuja, due to non-implementation of an agreement which was reached between the Union and the Federal government in 2013.

In February 2017, the Union embarked on a three days warning strike, a development which pushed the management of CAC to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the union to speed up the implementation of the agreement.

A member of staff of the Commission who spoke under the condition anonymity, the Tribune Online, said the Union got tired of waiting as there is nothing on ground to show that the agreement will be implemented anytime soon.

Although the Head of Corporate Commission of CAC, Godfrey Ike, said the delay in the implemented of the agreement is caused by the absence of a governing board for the Commission and also the delay in approval signal from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

Ike told Tribune Online on phone that the management had been having series of meetings with the hope that the crisis will be resolved as quickly as possible.

It will be recalled that, at the three days warning strike in February,  the commission Union Chairman, Comrade Ibrahim Kirfi, stated that the strike action has commenced and the Union has locked the CAC gate thereby blocking customers, staffs, and other people from entering or coming out of the premises.

Kirfi lamented that, “the management has failed to implement the content of this agreement and has not shown any intention to do so. The long period of the non- implementation of the agreement for this long hiding under the pretext of unnecessary bureaucracy, management had in other different ways , continued to deprive staff of their right full entitlements while in the very eyes of these staff monies are spent on so many things unwarranted expenditure

According to the Chairman, “the last straw that broke the camel’s back and precipitated this strike action was the total refusal to attend to our demand after series of negotiations and consultations with management that later led to an issuance of a 7 day notice and another 14day notice of an industrial strike commencing 15th February 2017.

He noted that, “It is pertinent to state at this juncture that having examined the spending pattern of the commission, it is expedient to re-present our demands. They are implementation of the tripartite agreement especially with regards to the salary disparity between executive and non-executive staff.

The Union Chairman explained that after an emergency general staff meeting, the union got the endorsement of the entire staff, and a strike action was declared effective from the 15^th of February, 2017.

Other reasons raised by the Union for their strike action includes, payment arrears of 9 % increase from January 2014, payment of staff housing, suspension of all foreign trips by the executive until staff entitlements are settled and prioritizing the Commission’s expenditures on critical needs.

As  of the time of filing this report, there is no date in view when the Commission’s office will reopen for business.