By Christian Njoku
Federal workers in Cross River have shunned the proposed nationwide indefinite protest organised by the Federal Workers Forum.
According to the forum’s National Coordinator, Mr Andrew Emelieze, the protest, billed to commence on Tuesday, was to press home the demands of the workers in the nation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the forum had earlier issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government.
The forum demanded the payment of the five-month wage award arrears, the implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance and the payment of its arrears.
Others include the immediate review of the heavy taxation of the federal workers’ wages, the upward review of the new national minimum wage and payment of cost-of-living allowance.
Mr John Etuk, a staff member of one of the Federal Ministries in the Federal Secretariat, Calabar, told NAN that while a circular was passed to MDAs, they did not comply.
“As you can see, activities at the federal secretariat are ongoing, and there are no protests. There was no protest yesterday,” he said.
Another federal civil servant, Mr Emmanuel Adejo, said that most workers were aware of the planned indefinite protest, but nobody came out in the state.
Adejo noted that they had carried out several protests in the past with proper organisation, but with little effort to back them up.
NAN reports that while filling this report, the Federal Secretariat in Calabar was calm with no sign of people gathering to protest. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
