September 30, (THEWILL) – Workers of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) in Akwa Ibom have joined their counterparts across the country in a national strike and protest against the management’s insensitivity towards staff members.
The protest, which began as early as before 7 am, saw the aggrieved workers barricading main entrances into the office premises located within the Ibom Plaza.
The industrial unrest is a joint action by the Akwa Ibom state branches of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSACGOC) and the National Union of Postal and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE).
Speaking to newsmen in Uyo on Thursday, the SSACGOC chairman, Comrade Sunny Dickson Jnr, complained of management’s insensitivity to workers welfare.
He said the management has refused to pay them what he called “Rent Enhancement Allowances” in five years.
According to him, “we are protesting management insensitivity towards staff members of NIPOST. Our complaint is about the non-payment of our rent enhancement allowances since 2017.
“Our category of staffers affected by the non-payment per annum include; GL.1-7 (N10,000), GL.7-9 (N15,000), GL.10-13 (N30, 000), GL.14 and above (N250,000 to N300,000).
“Repatriation allowances to retired members have not been paid also coupled with non availability of working materials in the office. As a result of this, our staff in the EMS department face frequent attacks by members of the public, for our inability to deliver prompt service”.
Comrade Dickson, who is also the vice-chairman of the Akwa Ibom state chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), said the union had previously given the management a 21-day ultimatum, but the reply they got is unsatisfactory.
He said, based on management reluctance to the issues raised, the National Administrative Council (NAC), Abuja gave the management another seven-day ultimatum, which the top management ignored.
“We are not happy and have vowed not to go to work except management pay our arrears of allowances”, he stated.
However, the management in an acknowledgement letter to both presidents of the unions dated September 15, 2021 and signed by the Director, HRM, K. U. Matankari on behalf of the Postmaster-General/CEO of NIPOST, Abuja has advised the workers to remain calm as efforts were being made to address the issues.
The letter also advised that “management is still in the process of payment of the outstanding rent enhancement allowance. The seeming delay in action is due to the shortfall in revenue generation”.
