From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
IMO State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Austin Chilakpu, has declared that Governor Rochas Okorocha does not have the power to determine working days in the state contrary to what the Nigeria constitution has already prescribed.
Okorocha had last Friday during an interactive session with Journalists disclosed that the state executive council was considering slashing the working days from the normal five days to three to avail civil servants in the state the opportunity of engaging in other businesses to earn extra income to augment their salaries.
NLC Chairman, in his reaction, said the slashing of the constitutionally prescribed working days was beyond the powers of any state government including that of Imo State.
According to him, the International Labour Organization has prescribed 40 working
Hours from Monday to Friday which is what the Nigeria constitution has adopted, and as such could not be altered on the whims of the Imo State Governor.
The NLC boss further pointed out that public holidays recognized by the Federal Government are listed in the calendar, noting that what the Imo State government was trying to do was to subvert the laws of the country.
“Claims by Governor Okorocha that Imo State pays the highest salaries in the entire Southeast is not correct because the workers in the state receive the same minimum wage paid by other states and it is not a gift but as a result of negotiation. There are states that pay more than Imo State. I don’t know why the governor always tries to borrow negative examples,” Chilakpu queried.