By Jude Michael
A former Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Anambra State Chapter, Comrade Patrick Obianyor, has appealed to the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to clear the arrears of gratuities he inherited from his predecessor, Chief Willie Obiano, for equity and justice.
Comrade Obianyor, who made the appeal recently in Awka while having a chat with newsmen, argued that Governor Soludo’s leaving behind the state workers who retired at the end of Obiano’s regime in the payment of gratuity was undue punishment.
Obianyor said, ‘I praise the governor for being able to be paying salaries and pensions as it were.
‘But I must say that I’m completely disgusted about the fact that some of the pensioners have not been paid gratuities as far back as March 2019.
‘But when somebody retires today, the governor will pay him his gratuity, while those that retired as far back as, let me say, from April 2019 (to the end of Obiano’s regime), have not been paid. This is unfair and absolutely wrong.
‘He is just punishing those people unduly; some of them have even died as a result of that.
‘Some retired civil servants only hope on gratuity as the only means to start life afresh.
‘So, my advice to him (Governor Soludo) is, let him clear that catalogue of arrears of gratuity because he inherited both assets and liabilities,’ the ex-labour leader urged.