Cross River Workers Protest Gov Ayade’s Early Payment Of Salaries

For reason yet to be fathom, workers in Cross River State are protesting early payment of salaries in the state by Governor Ben Ayade.

According to them, the Governor was paying salaries too early despite, saying payment of May salary on the first day of the month wouldn’t be acceptable to them.

Governor Ben Ayade has consistently paid the May salary on the first day of the month in the last three years of his tenure, the News Agency of Nigeria is reporting.

But speaking to journalists, the state chairman of the Trade Union Congress, 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 leaders were 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 pays 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, 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.