Workers unhappy over early payment of May salary

Workers in Cross River have protested the payment of May salary on the first day of the month by Gov. Ben Ayade.

Cross River Governor, Ben Ayade

Ayade has consistently paid the May salary on the first day of the month in the last three years of his tenure.

But speaking to journalists, the state chairman of the Trade Union
Congress (TUC), Clarkson Otu, said workers and the leadership of labour
were unhappy over the early payment of salary.

According to the labour leader, even though the government means well, labour was nonetheless not happy with the situation.

“As labour leaders we do not support early salaries payment. We have
told the governor that it is not proper.

April salary was paid only last
week and on May 1st he paid May salary.

“We are surprised he still paid early this month in spite of our protest. We will continue to engage him on that,” he said.

Speaking in a similar vein, the state Chairman of the Nigerian Labour
Congress (NLC), Ben Ukpepi, decried the early payment of salaries by
the state government.

Ukpepi said labour would engage with the governor with a view to putting an end to early payments of salaries in the state.

Meanwhile, Ayade has expressed his administration’s readiness to
implement the new minimum wage recently passed into law by President
Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking through the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Tina
Agbor at the May Day rally in Calabar, Ayade pledged to pay the new wage
once the modalities was worked out.

In spite of the state receiving one of the least revenue allocation
from the federation account and being the third most indebted state,
Ayade always pay civil servants early.