Labour To Picket UNIPORT Over Sack Of 483 Staff

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Rivers State Congress is set to lead other affiliated labour unions to picket the University of Port Harcourt over alleged unjustified sack of 483 staff and refused to absorb such staff.

Addressing selected Journalists at the Union Secretariat, MBM Plaza Port Harcourt, during a press briefing on the update of the struggle for some disengaged UNIPORT staff.

The union chairman, Comrade Chika Onuegbu said the union’s support for the disengaged staff was in pursuit of social justice.

He said the union had appointed the TUC state Vice Chairman Comrade Clement Onyesom to look into the UNIPORT disengaged staff.

The union said only 24 staff out of the 483 sacked staff sought the assistance of the union and upon that TUC wrote the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity for the reabsorption of the disengaged staff by Uniport  authorities.

The union said it is obvious that the vice chancellor and the authorities of the University of Port Harcourt have made up their mind not to pay the affected staff their gratuity and outstanding salaries.

The Union said this is a great injustice and utter display of impunity.

The union urged the honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity to urgently compels the Vice-Chancellor and authorities of the university to immediately pay the gratuity and outstanding arrears of salaries to these staff in the interest of Justice.

Also speaking, the chairman of the disengaged UNIPORT Staff Comrade Keeredu Betegha narrated their sufferings in the hands of the school authorities since 1999.

He said they took the school authorities to the Federal High Court Port Harcourt seeking an order of court for their reinstatement but he cannot appreciate the level of the matter following series of adjournments.

Comrade Betegha said they have gone through hardship and intimidations in their struggle with the authorities of UNIPORT.

He advised the UNIPORT authorities of only reinstating 15 indigenes of Choba among the sacked workers.

He appealed to the UNIPORT authorities to consider their immediate reinstatement and payment of their outstanding salaries arrears since 2003.

Also in  a letter dated 9th May, 2013 with Ref. No. ML/PH/18/673/155 signed by Anthony Dorgbaa for state controller Federal Ministry of Labour Port Harcourt said due to the prolonged in action, inability and unpreparedness of the University of Port Harcourt authorities to present the requisite facts and evidence with regard to the gratuity of those 24 sacked staff, the Honouable Minister of Labour and Productivity should give his final mandatory or panel action for fresh negotiation and payment to the affected staff.

It would be recalled that 483 University of Port Harcourt staff were disengaged in 1999 following the then university management insistence to compliance with the Federal Government directive on downsizing exercise.

However, the Federal Government had since 2003 rescinded and retracted the exercise vide the Head of Service Circular No. HCSF/APPEALS/100/Vol. 1/333 of 17/03/2003.

The authorities of the University of Port Harcourt have refused to comply with this circular in recalling the disengaged staff or pay them their gratuity and salaries since 2003.

However, all efforts made to speak with the Deputy Registrar Public Relations  of the university proved abortive as The Tide was told he was attending management meeting with the Vice Chancellor.

Philip Okparaji