Staffs of Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA) are currently on rampage in Cross River State as the workers are protesting over the nonpayment of seven- month salaries.
It should be noted that the CUDA is an agency under the Ministry of Environment, and this ministry is in charge of waste evacuation in the state capital.
It was gathered that staff stormed the ministry’s headquarter located at 2 off Barracks Road, Calabar protesting what they described as “inhumane” treatment meted on them by the state government and vowed to set the ministry ablaze if nothing was done in the next three days.
Recall that barely one month ago the state governor, Prof Ben Ayade, allegedly fired over 250 staff of the ministry for engaging in street sweeping for protesting nonpayment of 21-month salaries.
An aggrieved worker, Mr. Peter Okon, who spoke with NDV, lamented that apart from nonpayment of salaries, they have been starved of basic equipment to perform do effectively do their work.
“Look at me, I have a family to cater for and for seven months now I have not been paid, yet I pay transport to work on daily basis. Before now, our salary was N30 000, but they reduced it N20, 000 and later N18 000, but because we have passion for our state, we did not complain.
“We have been doing our job but seven months after, we have not been paid and we are not hearing any reasonable explanation from the government,” he said.
He asserted, “If we do not get our salary be sure that they will not find it funny, we cannot be suffering, risking our lives by packing waste with our bare hands, while somebody is sitting in the office to enjoy the money. How many people will accept to do what we are doing?”
Mrs. Emem Asuquo, said: “I have spent eight years on this job; we have never witnessed this kind of treatment before. Before now, we receive hospital allowance, we have rain boots and hand gloves to protect ourselves from possible infection while doing our job. But since this government assumed office, we do not have access to any of these things again. ”
Mrs. Asuquo added: “Personally, I am owed three months salary. I want my money I do not want the job again. Any day you miss work due to health challenges, you will be sacked; we have not seen this kind of insensitivity before.”
Another CUDA employee, Mrs. Theresa Inyang, relieved of her job with over 250 others, last month, because they demanded payment of 21-month salary arrears, asserted: “We were sacked because we protested the release of our entitlement. Anybody that utters any word is shown the exit door.”
