Cross River labour unions picket HOS office over promotion exam fees

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4 years ago

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joint Public Negotiating Council (JNC) in Cross River State picketed the office of the Head of Service (HoS), Mrs Geraldine Akpet-Ekanem, over the sum of N25,000, collected as promotion examination fees from directors due for promotion examinations to the next level in the state.

The protesting unions insisted that the fees must be refunded, arguing that promotion examinations in the state civil service is given as routines and should not attract charges.

The labour unions who stormed the office with placards conducted themselves peacefully while waiting and insisting on the practical and immediate refund of the monies collected from the 275 affected directors in the state’s civil service.

Speaking in an interview with journalists in Calabar, the NLC State Chairman, Comrade Ben Ikpapi, insisted that the government had already sponsored the examination hence there was no need to further collect any money from the directors.

“We are here to picket the Head of Service office, on the issue of permanent secretaries exams. On the side of labour, we agree that it is a government policy and therefore exams should be conducted. But the Head of Service has gone ahead to collect monies from the directors who are to write the exams, which is not supposed to be so.

“Government has given approval and sponsorship and so there is no need to collect monies from the directors. We have had series of negotiations on this issue. Before you should see labour coming like this, you should know that we have had several dialogues; up until last Friday, we had a meeting.

“Yet the Head of Service still Insists on collecting monies from the directors. That is why we say let us do the language they understand. We are demanding the Refund of the monies collected from the Directors,” Ikpapi explained.

Also speaking, the chairman of TUC Cross River State Chapter, Comrade Monday Ogbodum, also spoke on behalf of the union.

“What we are driving home is calling on the Head of Service that is why all our placards are having Head of Service. She is the one who directed the directors to pay the sum of N25,000 each in order to write exams for the permanent secretaryship.

“Since 2015, nobody has been writing exams to be appointed as permanent secretaries in the state. About two weeks ago, the governor used his powers to appoint two directors as permanent secretaries without any exams or payment. But the head of the service is pushing to collect the sum of N25,000 naira from about 275 directors of which only 12 will be appointed, that is extortion,” the TUC leader stated.

Comrade Ogbudom maintained that the gathering was aimed at resisting extortion.

“So, we are gathered here to say no to that extortion, we will not accept it. We are not going to leave this place and even if it requires us to stay here for one month, we will be here until the commencement of the refund of the 25,000 naira is made,” He maintained.

The labour unions leaders however said they understood that examination methods could be adopted for such exercises, but argued that there should be no collection of monies after the government had already sponsored the process.

They also argued that it would be an injustice to appoint two directors without examinations and payments and then set examinations for the rest, saying that the N25,000 collected by the Head of Service be refunded.

When contacted, Mr Christian It’s, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to Governor Ben Ayade, said that the issue had been resolved and a refund of the examination fee has been made.

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