By Ogar Monday
The Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) Cross River State Council and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Cross River State Council has suspended its 2 weeks old strike after reaching an agreement with government.
The announcement is coming a day after the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Association of Local Government Employees (NULGE) had withdrawn from the strike and had asked its members to resume work.
While announcing the decision to suspend the action, the Chairman of NLC Comrade Mike Ushie expressed his disappointment with the NUT and NULGE.
“The essence of the strike is not to destroy government, but to draw the attention of our employer to the need for a round-table. Strike actions are usually the last resort.
“Whatever agreement we have reached with government is done in good faith and hoping that our employer, the government feels the need to implement the agreement reached.”
He regretted the situation where they were negotiating for teacher’s welfare while the leaders of the teachers union were busy declaring their decision to pull out from the strike, and called on teachers to “remove leaders who are in office for personal aggrandizement or watch their union die.”
Part of the agreement reached with the government include; full payment of salaries of newly appointed permanent secretaries from June and arrears of salaries be paid soonest, every aspect of payroll consultancy should be domiciled in the state, gratuities to retirees from June to December 2013 shall be paid in full on or before Wednesday 5th July, 2017, payment of imprest to MDA’s to be released 1st week of every month and motor parks in the state to be operated on a 50/50 basis with the NURTW among others.