By Abasi Ita
Newly employed staff of the Cross River State Unified Local Government Service Commission on Monday staged a peaceful protest at the Governor’s Office in Calabar over the non payment of their salaries for nine months.
The workers, who said they had continued to report for duty since their employment without being placed on the payroll, appealed to Governor Bassey Otu to urgently intervene and address their plight.
Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, the protesters described the prolonged delay in payment as a source of severe hardship, noting that many of them were struggling to meet basic family responsibilities including paying school fees for their children.
In a letter submitted to the governor during the protest, the workers said they had remained committed to their duties despite the financial challenges they have faced for months.
“For over nine months now, many of us who were employed through the Local Government Service Commission have been reporting to our duty posts faithfully without being placed on the payroll. Despite our commitment to serve the state diligently, we have not received salaries to sustain ourselves and our families,” the letter read in part.
The workers lamented that the situation had placed many families under severe strain, adding that some of their colleagues had left small private businesses to take up the government employment while others relocated from distant communities to resume duty.
They also noted that some of the affected workers in the health sector have continued to provide services to communities despite struggling to afford transportation to their workplaces.
“Among us are parents whose children have been unable to return to school. Feeding our families and fulfilling basic responsibilities have become extremely difficult. Many now survive by borrowing or depending on the kindness of others,” the workers stated.
They emphasized that the protest was not intended as a confrontation with the government but a plea for urgent intervention to alleviate the hardship they have endured.
Responding to the protesters, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Anthony Owan Enoh, assured them that the state government was already working to resolve the issue.
He acknowledged the workers’ right to express their grievances and disclosed that several meetings had been held to address matters relating to local government recruitment and payroll.
According to him, the government plans to hold a final meeting with Governor Otu on Thursday to conclude discussions on the matter.
Enoh explained that the delay in placing the workers on the payroll was partly due to the need to verify genuine employees and resolve administrative issues within the Local Government Service Commission.
He assured the workers that those duly employed by the government would eventually be captured on the payroll once the verification process is completed, urging them to remain patient while the process is finalized.