Obinna Ichita, Member of the Abia State House of Assembly representing Aba South constituency says the state has a situation worse than labour exploitation.
Ichita in a statement on Sunday to mark the 2022 worker’s day celebration urged Abia workers to stand up and fight for their rights.
Listing the months owed the state workers by the Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration, the leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in the state said that the situation on ground shows that it is not a happy worker’s day in the state.
According to him “Workers in Abia State Polytechnic are owed 34 months salary arrears. Workers in Abia State Hospital Management Board have not been paid in the last 12 months.
Workers in Abia State University Teaching Hospital are owed many months salary arrears. Workers in Abia State Local Government system are owed many months salary arrears
“Many workers in Abia State Ministries, departments and agencies are paid half salary for many months now. Workers in Abia State University are owed many months salary arrears.
“Workers in Abia state ministries are owed months of salary arrears. Workers in Abia State College of Education (Techical) Arochukwu are owed over 26 months salary arrears.
Retired workers in Abia State are owed over 2 years pension arrears. Senior workers like Permanent Secretaries are also owed many months of salary arrears.
“Senior judicial officers in Abia state are also owed even as they struggle with horrible conditions of service.
“Marx and Engels (1884) concluded their thoughts as documented in their seminal work on the subject matter thus: “all Workers of the World unite; You have nothing to loose but your chains”!
“Abia workers should get up and fight for their rights. Only the oppressors and/ or their agents would dare call today a happy workers’ day. Reality on grounds confirms that it is not a happy workers’ day in Abia State”.
