By Ikwen Atuaka
Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade has been urged to reconsider his directive on the date for payment of salaries to ensure local government workers get paid in time too.
The Chairman National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE Obudu chapter Ferdinand Ugbong stated this in a message to CrossRiverWatch explaining his stance on payment of salaries.
Ugbong posited that “It is quite understandable that Cross River State at the moment may be lacking the adequate funds to pay salaries to both state and local government staff at the same time.
“What I don’t understand is why prompt payment of state workers salaries has become prioritized over the local government staff whose delay has become much of a culture.
“I want to believe that this disparity tells much in bad light and remains the source of all aspersions as have often been cast on the viability and competence of the local government unions”.
On his stance on the date pronounced by Ayade, 25th of every month which is now the date State government workers are being paid, Ugbong said “I understand the fact that the state runs a joint account with the Local Government Councils and controls same.
“I understand also that the choice of 25th as dateline for the payment of salaries is applaudable. However, it will all amount to sheer injustice if the gesture doesn’t affect the Local Government workers with over seventy percent of the entire work force of the state as well as its monthly accruals to the state joint account from the federation account”.
Concluding, Ugbong averred that “It is expedient that His Excellency chooses a more convenient dateline for monthly salary payment in the state, to enable him meet such obligation to the state workers and Local Government Council staff simultaneously”.