Disengaged workers in Abia reject letters

Posted by admin Abia, Headlines, State News Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Umuahia-NON-INDIGENES disengaged by Abia State Government from its work force are protesting the contents of the letters being issued to them for delivery to their home governments for purposes of being re-absorbed.

Abia State Government had abinitio, insisted that the non-indigenes were not being sacked but merely transferred to their various states to continue their service.

But when the affected persons started receiving letters early this week, they discovered that the letters said they were “disengaged” from their employment, which makes it difficult for them to be reabsorbed by their various state governments.

Entitled “Letter of disengagement of employment”, the body of the letter read: “I am directed to notify you of your disengagement from the service of Abia State ………..with effect from October 1, 2011.

“This is due to ongoing re-organisation in the service. While appreciating your past services, please accept our best wishes in your future endeavours.”

With these contents, the affected workers said they would not accept the letters, on the grounds that they implied that their years of service had been terminated without any compensation and that their various governments would not accept them as being on transfer.

The non-indigenes said they were eager to leave but not with the contents of the letter, noting that they were sacked, even when the government had earlier insisted that they were only going to be transferred back to their states of origin.

Head of one of the parastatals in the state who was among those signing and issuing the letters, explained that when complaints were raised by people on the title and contents of the letters, they drew the attention of the Head of Service to it.

The Head of Service, he said, insisted and directed that the letters be issued as disengagement not transfer.

When Vanguard visited the office of the Head of Service, Mr. G. C. Adiele, for clarification on the contents of the letters, he was said to be attending a meeting at Government House.

An affected non-indigene who preferred anonymity lamented: “We cannot take this letter to our home states because it means that our appointments were terminated and nothing was paid to us. For what reason were we sacked?

“The government had from day one told us that it was transfer of service, not sack, and even quarreled with media houses that called their action sack.

“Now, there is no place in this letter where transfer was even remotely mentioned. So what do you want us to make of the action of the government? If Abia State Government is sincere with this policy, what they should do is to do transfer letters as they earlier promised so that we can easily be absorbed and continue from our levels when we get home.”

Meanwhile, Vanguard learnt that the affected non-indigenes are mobilizing to drag the state government to court over the sack as against the transfer of service it claimed earlier.

-Vanguardwp_posts