Organized Labour unions in Benue state have commended Governor Samuel Ortom for his promise to offer new jobs to Benue people come year 2020.
Gov. Ortom, on Monday, while responding to the plea by the General Manager of Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency, BENSESA, Mr. Solomon Onah, that he absorb casual workers in his agency, said in the first quarter of the new year, he shall be lifting the embargo on employment to absorb casual workers in the state.
Ortom stated that he has directed the Head of Service to do an assessment of all casual workers in the state and give him the financial implication so that once it is within a comfortable range, he will give them employment.
The Governor who also promised to employ not just the ones with BENSESA but, all casual workers in government disclosed that he is aware there are vacancies in civil services due to deaths and retirements.
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The Chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council I, II &III, Mr. Ojetu Ojema who commended Ortom for wanting to absorb all casual workers in the state said it is a step in the right direction.
He lamented that some of the casual workers have been in office for 10-15 years saying “we labour, are against casualization because we look at it as pure exploitation.”
Mr. Ojema who enumerated the effects of casualization also noted that it is a security threat to employ someone on that basis. “It is not security wise to keep someone under your employ and he is not happy.
“Government is all about information management and when you employ someone on casual bases paying N5000 and N10,000, the person can sell your information for anything.
“So I am happy to hear him say this because these are our people and we are their leaders. We have been speaking for them concerning this and if our Governor has obliged us, it means he is a listening governor, a labour friendly governor and I want to urge him to live up to that commitment,” he said.
