The workers union in Rivers State is threatening a mass protest over the potential impact of a recent Supreme Court judgement on workers’ salaries.
The apex court, in a landmark judgment delivered last Friday, ordered the suspension of the state’s monthly allocation due to what it described as the government’s failure to present its budget appropriately.
The Chairman of the Joint Public Negotiating Council in Rivers State, Chukwu Emecheta, warned that workers would not sit idly by if their salaries were affected.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the commissioning of Government House Staff Quarters in Port Harcourt, Emecheta declared that if by the end of March—or any subsequent month—civil servants do not receive their pay, the union will mobilize for a demonstration to express their grievances.
“It will be a disservice if a well-recognized arm of the government will take such a drastic measure,” he said.
“If we don’t receive our salary, we will come out on the street. We will say no to it because the judgement should be able to protect the ordinary man, that is why the judiciary is the last hope of the common man”.
“If this is done and salary is seized, people are no longer paid, how do you expect people to pay their children’s school fees, rent, and go to work? It will mean that those that are supposed to protect us are no longer protecting us.”
The court’s decision has triggered debates, with some stakeholders accusing the judiciary of overstepping its bounds, while others argue that the judgment is necessary to enforce financial discipline.
However, for civil servants who depend on their monthly earnings, the implications are dire.
The labour leader insisted that any delay in salary payments would not be tolerated, emphasizing that workers should not bear the brunt of political and legal disputes.
“We will not relent on anything within the limit of the law to say no to seizing our salary. If you seize our salary what else do you want us to do?” Emecheta asked rhetorically.
