Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State.
Governor Francis Nwifuru has ordered the immediate sack and replacement of Ebonyi workers who fail to be on their duty posts within 72 hours because of the recent declaration of a one-week warning strike by the state workforce.
Recall the Ebonyi State Chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC through its Chairman, Professor Ogugua Egwu, yesterday declared that the state workforce should embark on a 7-day warning strike following the alleged non-payment of the N70,000 minimum wage by Governor Nwifuru-led administration.
Egwu recalled that President Bola Tinubu-led federal government approved N70,000 minimum wage but its payment has not been fulfilled in Ebonyi, and thus, directed the state workers to lock down their offices for one week, saying the directive came from the NLC National leadership.
Briefing pressmen on Monday at Abakaliki, Governor Nwifuru directed the state workers to resume work in their various offices or risk sack and immediate replacement within 72 hours by his administration.
Nwifuru also directed the chairman of the state civil service commission, Mrs Catherine Ogbu, commissioners and heads of all government ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs to be taking workers' attendance.
The workers, according to the governor would be receiving their salaries based on their attendance list through the state table payment.
He said: "We are not owing any worker in this State, both pension, gratuity and salary. We are paying the minimum wage as enshrined in the act of the National Assembly, and every worker is being promoted according to the person's wish because if you didn't pass promotion exams, it is not my fault.
"So, I don't know where we've gone wrong; I don't know why our state should start a fight where there is no cause for it. If you don't go to work, not only that I will not pay your salary, but I will replace you within the next 72 hours.
"I have called the chairman of Civil Service Commission; I have directed the Commissioners to go to their offices; heads of government agencies and departments must be in their offices to check those that come to work.
"Those are the people I am going to pay, through table payment and based on the number of days you come to work."
Governor Nwifuru, who said he considered the action of the NLC state chairman, Professor Ogugua Egwu, as a threat, further insisted that he would never negotiate with the labour leader on the matter of the minimum wage, which he maintained is an act of the National Assembly.
He queried the reason behind a federal government worker being the NLC chairman in the state rather than a State worker.
"I said this before the NLC chairman, and I make bold to say it again that I will never negotiate with you, Sir. You are not even my staff and you are not a staff of this State. You are a federal government staff, and I don't even know why you are the NLC chairman, and I will start querying that now.
"And I want everybody to know, and himself to know because I take everything he is doing as a threat, but empty threat," the governor said.
