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Strike: CAC, workers meeting ends in deadlock

By on October 6, 2013

The peace-seeking meeting held yesterday, between management of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) its workers union, ended in a deadlock.

Speaking with newsmen, Vice Chairman of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Bivan Stephen, said that though talks were ongoing, the action had not yet been called off.

“We are still talking with the management and trying to resolve the issues. We have scheduled to meet again tomorrow and we hope we will. We are not asking for anything that is not within the law because we are law abiding citizens of this country,” he said.

“We can say that talks are in progress and we will be meeting again tomorrow to discuss further. They have been fruitful discussions and we are going on. But the strike is still on.”

The workers on Friday, embarked on an indefinite strike to protest the wide disparity in salaries of executive and non-executive staff.

AUPCTRE chairman, Yusuf Buba, said the workers were expressing their grievances over the non-implementation of the agreement reached in 2010 between the management and AUPCTRE to address the issue.

Buba, who accused the management of appropriating privileges and allowances to themselves outside consolidated salaries, also alleged a cut in the salary of the non-executives by nine percent.

He said, “This is contrary to the monetisation policy”, alleging that management bought luxury cars for Directors and Board members, used commission’s pool drivers on a permanent basis and yearly subscription for DSTV for executive staff.

Other allegations include purchase of Ipads for executive staff and board members, yearly internet subscription for executive staff for home use and N45,000 recharge cards for executive staff on a monthly basis.

He also accused the management of payment of subscription of exclusive sports club, house maintenance, utility bills and buying 240 litres of PMS each for executive members monthly.

But, a statement by Churchill Willaims, CAC Director of Public Affairs, said that after the Federal Government approved a 53.37 percent salary increase in the public service, the workers insisted it must be implemented.

According to him, management upon approval by the board formally applied to the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and got approval to implement 26.68 per cent across board to conform with existing policies.

“Management has since implemented the 26.68 per cent increase. However, following protest by the staff union, demanding for a 35 per cent increase, and in the light of looming industrial crises, the Commission again wrote to the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission to solicit upward review of the percentage to 35 per cent, but they wrote a letter back stating that agencies in the public service which are not on the harmonised salary structures and whose wage bill is funded from either the treasury or is an internally generated revenue, received approval to implement across board the same 26.68 per cent approved for the CAC.

“Therefore, the request of the CAC to receive a 35 per cent increase cannot be approved.”

He explained that cars allocated to the departments are for operational purposes while no gas is supplied to any executive.

The spokesman also denied that bills for electricity, sanitation, house maintenance and plumbing, subscriptions for memberships of sports clubs are being paid for the executives by the Commission.