OKOROCHA BULLIES IMO WORKERS

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has
resorted to bullying as a way of getting striking
Imo workers back on their duty posts. The
governor ordered the striking civil servants to
resume work immediately or risk being
summarily sacked.

The Governor seized the space provided by
some youths who some say were hired to pay
him a solidarity visit at the Government House,
Owerri, following massive criticism that has
trailed his government lately.

Okorocha who accused the workers of reneging
on the recent agreement it freely entered into
with the state government said the strike was
“illegal and would not be tolerated next time”.

It was the considered opinion of the Governor
that “the strike was politically motivated and
principally aimed at rubbishing the good
reputation of his administration”.

He wondered why civil servants should embark
on strike “because of just months of unpaid
salaries” owed by his administration but failed
to disclose whether his own salary was also in
arrears. .

Okorocha was particularly irked that no other
state went on strike over non-payment of
salaries, considering the economic meltdown
facing the country but failed to mention the
case of Osun, another APC governed state the
workers of which were on strike for several
months..

“I do not know of any other state whose
workers went on strike as a result of unpaid
salaries. Imo workers treated me unjustly by
embarking on the current industrial action”,
Okorocha said.

Explaining why he took the decision to sack the
striking workers if they fail to resume, the
Governor said a lot of youths in the state are in
need of employment.

Meanwhile, labour leaders in the state have
considered this as an act of intimidation and
have advised civil servants to ignore the threat
issued by the Governor, stressing that labour
may completely shut down the state if
government failed to pay their unpaid salaries.

Labour also ordered pensioners not to appear
before any verification team set up by the state
government, stressing this verification had been
conducted several times by the present
administration, without paying the pensions