Otu restores 3,000 local govt workers to payroll

Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has approved the restoration of 3,000 local government workers earlier removed from the state payroll.

The governor gave the approval, following a meeting with the organised labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), in Calabar.

The meeting, held at the state executive council chambers, focused on issues affecting workers and pensioners, including the disengagement of local government workers, recruitment, promotions, salary harmonisation and pensioners’ entitlements.

Labour leaders had appealed to the governor to reconsider the disengagement of the affected workers, arguing that many of them had spent about two years in service and depended on their salaries for their livelihoods.

Responding to the appeal, Otu acknowledged the hardship the disengagement could impose on the affected workers and their families.

He, however, explained that the government’s intervention in the public service was aimed at correcting irregularities, enforcing due process and ensuring fairness in employment.

The governor said the state needed a public service in which recruitment was based on appropriate qualifications and transparent procedures to prevent practices that could create long-term problems for the system.

Following the engagement, Otu approved the return of 3,000 of the 4,000 affected workers to the payroll, providing relief to the majority of those whose employment status had been under review.

The governor also directed that other issues raised by labour, particularly outstanding promotions, salary harmonisation and the welfare of low-income workers and pensioners, be subjected to further review.

He requested relevant briefs and official documents from labour, while directing government officials to examine existing records before taking further decisions on the outstanding matters.

Otu urged labour to continue to partner with his administration in rebuilding the state, stressing that the government alone could not shoulder the responsibility of transforming Cross River.

He acknowledged the financial challenges facing the state, including inherited liabilities, but said his administration was working to improve internally generated revenue, settle outstanding obligations and build an economy driven by productivity, investment and sustainable opportunities.

The restoration of the workers followed sustained engagement between the government and labour over the fate of the affected local government employees.