Staff of the Cross River State Unified Local Government Service Commission have appealed to the state government to facilitate the payment of their withheld salaries, which they say have remained unpaid for nine months.
The workers made the appeal on Monday during a peaceful protest at the Governor’s Office in Calabar, urging Governor Bassey Otu to urgently intervene in their situation.
Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, the aggrieved employees said the prolonged delay in placing them on the government payroll had subjected them and their families to severe hardship.
In a letter addressed to the governor and submitted during the protest, the workers explained that they had continued to report to their duty posts despite not receiving salaries since their employment through the Cross River State Unified Local Government Service Commission.
The letter partly read, “For over nine months now, many of us who were employed through the Local Government Service Commission have been reporting to our duty posts faithfully without being placed on the payroll. Despite our commitment to serve the state diligently, we have not received salaries to sustain ourselves and our families.”
The workers further lamented that the situation had made it difficult for many of them to meet basic family responsibilities.
“Among us are parents whose children have been unable to return to school. Feeding our families and fulfilling basic responsibilities have become extremely difficult. Some of our colleagues left small private jobs they were managing to take up this opportunity to serve our beloved state,” the letter added.
They also noted that some of the employees had been posted to distant locations, forcing them to relocate despite not receiving salaries.
“Others were posted to new environments and had to relocate from far and near just to resume duty. Particularly in the health sector, some of our members work tirelessly day and night serving communities with dedication, even while struggling to afford transportation to work,” the workers stated.
The protesters, however, stressed that their action was not intended to confront the government but rather to respectfully seek urgent intervention.
“Our coming together today is not an act of confrontation but a humble cry for help from loyal citizens who believe in your leadership. We respectfully appeal to you as a father and leader to kindly intervene so that we can be placed on the payroll and begin to receive our salaries,” the letter read.
Responding to the protesters, the Secretary to the State Government, prof Anthony Enoh, acknowledged their concerns and assured them that the state government was already working to resolve the issue.
He disclosed that several meetings had been held regarding the employment process and payroll placement of the workers.
According to him, the delay was partly due to the need to verify genuine employees and address administrative issues that arose during the recruitment process.
Enoh assured the protesters that the matter would soon be resolved and encouraged them to remain patient while the government completes the verification process.
