By CHARLES IWUOHA

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Ebonyi State chapter, have presented a strongly-worded petition to Governor Francis Nwifuru over the gruesome murder of a principal and a teacher at Nkaleke, Ebonyi LGA, by hoodlums.

The groups urged the governor to direct security agencies in the state to fish out the perpetrators.

A statement signed by Professor Ogugua Egwu, the Chairman of NLC, and made available to newsmen after their visit with the governor at the new Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki on Thursday.

According to them: “The quality of life of teachers is poor, their work environments are being threatened by the flamboyance of our nationality, and communities no longer support the safety of teachers.

“On Friday, 13^th October, 2023, we lost two teachers, including a principal. They were gruesomely murdered in the line of duty at Nkaleke, Ebonyi L.G.A. We use this medium to ask you, Sir, to ensure that the security agencies bring the perpetrators to book to serve as a deterrent to other haters of teachers.”

The groups, however, commended the governor for the payment of gratuities to over 1,161 retirees and an additional N10,000 to civil servants in the state to cushion the effects of subsidy removal.

“We applaud the payment of backlog of gratuity to Retirees of Ebonyi State Civil Service (We are aware that as of yesterday (Wednesday), about 1,161 Retirees have been cleared and paid); the addition of a N10,000 bonus to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy; floating of toll-free buses to convey Ebonyi people to work; recruitment of needed health workers in the General hospitals in all the thirteen (13) Local Governments of the State; recruitment of one thousand five hundred (1,500) Ebonyians into various cadres in the State Civil Service,” the groups said.

The leadership of the two unions also urged the governor to constitute a committee to review the salaries of civil servants in the state to be at par with the recent wage award of N35,000 of the Federal Government.

“We believe it is not too early to constitute a Committee to review these wage structures with a view to harmonizing them for an acceptable product of collective bargaining that will better the lives of all Ebonyi Workers.

“We know you are aware of the recent wage award of NGN35,000 to all categories of workers in Nigeria as declared by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You were among the very few Governors in Nigeria who started implementing a wage award of NGN10,000.

“We would not have asked you to review the award you have already given but because it is a matter of absolute necessity, we appeal that your uncommon good heart be moved again, to upwardly review the wage award to be at par with that of the Government at the centre,” the groups added.

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