TIMARIV Wants Integration Into Govt Payroll

Workers of the Rivers State Road Traffic management Authority (TIMARIV) have appealed to the government to integrate them into the Central Payroll of the Rivers State Government.
The Chairman, TIMARIV branch of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), in the state, Comrade Igenewari Ketuphel made the appeal at a press briefing held in his office in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Ketuphel said it is disheartening to note that after four years of active service, their wages could not be regularised and that there is no condition of service for effective service delivery.
He noted that within the period, most of their members lost their lives while in active duty, some injured staff were not being taken care of while families of bereaved officers were not compensated, and also appealed to the government and the authority concerned to consider their plight.
The union boss reiterated that on May 1, 2013, the Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi approved payment of N500 million to pay the back-log o salary owed workers, which he has fulfilled, and disclosed that during the May Day Workers celebration, the Governor promised to re-organise the outfit and re-structure it for better services as well as re-structure the agency.
According to him, the Governor also promised that Government would take over the wage-bill of TIMARIV and enlist them in the pay roll of government so that the issue of non-payment of salaries as at when due would be a thing of the past, but that since after the promise, it had not been implemented, enjoining him to make good his promises for the interest of the staff of  TIMARIV.
On TIMARIV to generate money to pay salaries, the Union Chairman declared that the Rivers State Road Traffic Law No. 6 clearly spelt out its duty as service oriented organisation and not a money making venture and opposed the idea that they should work out money to pay themselves.
While also fielding questions from Journalists, Ketuphel hinted that he had no idea on the money generated from the on-going paid-packing stickers introduced by the authority.
Meanwhile, officers and men of TIMARIV have been assured that their protest and demands would be channeled to the appropriate authority for prompt action.
The Commissioner for Transport, Mr. George Tolofari gave the assurance while addressing the protesting officers of the authority at Government House gate on Wednesday.
Tolofari said their demands would be looked into and enjoined them to go about their lawful duties.

Soul’s Generators Outreach celebrating Nigeria at 54 in Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: Egberi A. Sampson