BY UKET OKA, Calabar
Organised Labour in Cross River and the state government may be heading for collision course following the passage of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) Bill by the State House of Assembly last week.
The controversial bill passed by the state legislature is currently awaiting the assent of the governor, Senator Bassey Otu.
The CPS Bill had received protests from the Organised Labour in the State after it passed both first and second reading and was about to be passed but Organised Labour kicked against it stressing that it was not in the interest of Cross River workers.
The State workers had to also disrupt a stakeholders sensitisation on the bill organised by the state government before it’s eventual passage by members of the State House of Assembly.
Labour claimed that it has failed in many states and in most Federal Government’s MDAs and should therefore not be introduced to the state except the peculiarities of Cross River State were thoroughly discussed and properly put into perspective before such bill could be passed Into law .
However, the Contributory Pension Scheme Bill 2023 which was introduced by the member representing Abi State Constituency, Hon. Davies Etta and Deputy Majority Leader of the House, was passed into law by the Cross River State House of Assembly, during a legislative session held on Thursday, November 2, 2023.
This move irked Organised Labour which called for an emergency meeting on Monday, November 6, 2023 to take certain decisions on the way forward.
Speaking with journalists on the issue before the meeting which is still ongoing as at the time of filing this report, the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), in the State, Comrade Monday Ogbodum said they were shocked at the turn of things , as government never carried the workers along in the decision to pass such law.
“The government as it were had never invited Organised Labour to discuss the 2023 CPS bill or say why they needed to pass such into law.
“The first time we heard of it was the first day of public hearing, we went there and protested and the second time we heard about, we went back to the House of Assembly, we met the Speaker who assured us that our concerns would be communicated to the governor and there would be a stakeholders meeting , till this moment, nothing like that has happened.
“Not for one day, has the government ever discussed the 2023 CPS bill with Organised Labour, at least if the bill must go, Cross River State’s peculiarities should be thoroughly considered, unfortunately all these were not done and when we woke up on the 3rd of November, we read the news that the House of Assembly has passed the bill, and it was only waiting for the governor’s assent to become law.
“Our issue is beyond strike, we as Labour simply don’t want the governor to assent to it, we want to make it clear that without a proper stakeholders meeting and the right things put in place, one naira would not be deducted from Cross River worker’s salary.
“For instance the little money deducted from workers salaries as check off dues, government finds it difficult to remit that, so, is it when they now deduct 12.5 percent from every civil or public servant that they will be able to pay , the issue is not just passing the bill, the issue is implementation, the health insurance bills took about six years, will this be different,” Comrade Ogbodum stated.
He expressed surprise that the members of the State House of Assembly was even on strike for the non-payment of their allowances when they surreptitiously went and passed the bill.
“The e process is illegal , there was no single parliamentary staff because of the strike, so it is disturbing, it is worrisome , we are not happy because the workers have not been put into proper consideration before the passage of the bill. If they say Labour was consulted, they should tell who represented us,” the TUC Chairman said .
