By Ani Bassey
32 days after embarking on indefinite strike action, Organised labour in Cross River State has suspended its industrial action.
This follows a Memorandum of Understanding reached with the state government and the intervention of the traditional institution in the state led by the Chairman of the Cross River State Traditional Rulers Council, HRH Etinyin Etim Okon Edet.
As part of the understanding of labour, the government is expected to meet a number of demands made by labour in the state.
This includes the restoration of names of local government pensioners wrongly removed from the payroll, lifting of the ban on the collection of checkoff dues.
Others are that annual incremental steps of both state and local government workers shall be restored with effect from January 2022.
The leaders said the government will be given 5 months to fully implement the agreements reached with them.
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Godwin Otei, the State Chairman of the Joint Negotiations Council in his response said “we are suspending the strike to see if the government will do the needful”, he said.
On his part, state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress Ben Ukpepi said the strike action was the longest in the history of the state and this shows the insensitivity of the government.
He thanked the traditional institution for their intervention.
On his part, Monday Ogbodum the state Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria said labour will watch and see how the government will live up to the expectations of both parties as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding.
