The National Public Service Negotiating Council (NPSNC) has once more disassociated itself from the new leadership of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (PSJNC), Delta State Council recently constituted by the State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku.
It was earlier reported that the Delta State Chairman of PSJNC, Comrade (Mrs) Alice Ikpen Jegede was unceremoniously removed by the NLC Chairman, who was not a member of PSJNC and constitutionally not allowed to interfere with day-to-day activities of the PSJNC, was arrogantly and dictatorially shunned.
Apparently the development has snowballed as NPSNC has backlisted the new leadership from attending the forthcoming 2023 Separate and Joint Meetings of the National Public Service Negotiating Council (NPSNC) slated for January 30th to February 1st, 2-2024 at Nasarawa State.
Ahead of the meeting themed: Digitalization as an Effective and Efficient Tool for Service Delivery in the Public Service, NPSNC Wednesday released the names of States Chairmen and delegates that would be in attendance, but Delta State is found conspicuously missing.
A check from the memo from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation showed that only the Delta State Head of Service was invited.
Delta State Council 1 of the PSJNC had protested the imposition of the State Chairman of NCSU, Comrade Benson Efetor as the new Council Chairman which usurped the original agreement of zoning the chairmanship position to Council 1, in line with the rotational provision of its Constitution.
In her address on 17th of January to “Esteemed Comrades” the embattled Delta State Chairman of PSJNC, Comrade Jegede, said:
“I deem it appropriate to educate everyone who was misinformed on the happenings of today and to salute the Comrades that withdrew from the illegal process which took place today. Below are my reason of staging a walkout on the NLC Chairman and his cohorts
“JNC State elections are conducted by JNC National not NLC. To sit back is to support a bad precedence.
“The NLC Chairman addressed me as Immediate Past Chairman when an election was yet to be conducted and a new Chairman sworn in so by that nomenclature am not supposed to be in that meeting.
“Furthermore in accordance with the JNC constitution, as long as I am not retired and the general election has not been conducted, no person should hijack the system without following due process.
“To protest against the intended blackmail of the NLC CHAIRMAN who hitherto served 10yrs illegally as JNC Chairman and so assumed, I will act in same manner.
“Finally to let you know that I didn’t call the meeting of today rather the meeting was called by the NLC chairman.”
However, when the reporter called her for further clarifications, she simply said: “the matter is before the State. The Head of Service is addressing the matter.”
Meanwhile, there is possibility that the State Governor Sheriff Francis Oborevwori may be unhappy with the development in the State organised Labour considering the cordial relationship his predecessor His Excellency Ifeanyi Okowa enjoyed with workers.