By Shadrach Okon
Civil Servants in Akwa Ibom State who had high hopes of receiving 13th months salary this yuletide have been disappointed as Governor Umo Eno reneged on his earlier promise to pay them a special bonus salary christened ‘Enomber’.
‘Enomber’ which was expected as a full one month bonus salary package for civil servants in the state was to serve as the governor’s kind gesture to civil servants to help them celebrate the Christmas and new year season which normally comes with a lot of festivities and corresponding financial demands among Christians in the State.
Governor Eno’s decision to renege on his promise was contained in an agreement reached between Akwa Ibom State Government and Organized Labour on the implementation of the new minimum wage for civil servants in the state.
According to the document made available to newsmen and signed by the Head of Service Elder Effiong Essien and the Chairperson, NLC, Akwa Ibom State Comrade Sunny James, among other signatories, the State Government had given the Organized Labour the condition of forgoing the 13th month salary in order to be paid the minimum wage from November, 2024.
Part of the agreement read: “The effective date of the New Minimum Wage is 1st November, 2024. This was agreed from the options where Government had offered to pay the new minimum wage from 1st December, 2024 in addition to the 13th month salary (Enomber) or pay with effect from 1st November, 2024 without the 13th month salary. Labour having accepted the option of the commencement date to be1st November, 2024 agreed to forgo the 13th month salary.”
It would be recalled that the planned indefinite strike of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC which the organized labour had threatened to picket government house on 4th December in Akwa Ibom over the non implementation of new minimum wage in the State was suspended following negotiation and signing of the New Minimum Wage Agreement between the Government of Akwa Ibom State and the Organized Labour.
