Members of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State have been urged to halt all attacks on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over the temporary slashing of workers’ salaries in the state.
APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Sylvester Imonina, had condemned the Delta State Government for allegedly slashing the minimum wage of civil servants in the state to meet the current reality.
He had described the move as “demonic, unconscionable, anti-people and a calculated attempt to further subject civil servants to dehumanisation.”
But the People’s Democratic (PDP) Chieftain, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, while reacting to Imonina’s statement in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, described the APC’s attack as that of a drowning man who has lost favour in the sight of the masses and seeking cheap recognition.
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Onuesoke, a former PDP governorship aspirant, argued that APC should have known that the outbreak of the COVID-19 in March has affected the world economy and responsible governments are now engaged in the process of adjusting their operations to ensure that wages are not halted amid skeletal services by workers.
He stated that instead of the Delta APC to think of how to put its fragmented house in the state in order, it was busy churning out spurious and misleading press releases to portray the PDP in a bad light.
He explained that the planned slashing of workers’ salaries in the state was done in such a way that the salaries of Level One to Six workers are not affected.
He added that Level Seven to 17 workers that were affected would be paid the difference when the economy improves.
“Delta State chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the State Government have agreed that grade levels 1- 6 are to receive the new minimum wage, while from grade levels 7-17 that are affected are to revert to the old wage and the difference to be paid when the economy improves.
“In other words, they are to sacrifice their percentage increase for the period. Even Delta workers understand this new reality.
“APC should always get its facts right before jumping out to issue unnecessary press statements, especially at a time of uncertainty like this, when the whole world is forced to embrace a new lifestyle which has dislocated our lives and redefined our existence drastically,” he stated.
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