The Chairman of the Cross River State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Benedict Ukpepi, has ordered striking civil servants to remain at home in defiance of the ‘no work, no pay’ directive of the state government.

Ukpepi defied the order on Wednesday and said, ‘Cross River workers should continue staying at home‘ until the contentious issues were resolved.

The strike called by the NLC over issues bordering on the welfare of workers entered its third day on Wednesday.

The Permanent Secretary in the office of the Head of Service, Emmanuel Eke, had announced in a circular on Tuesday that the Head of Service had directed all public servants not to join the strike, saying it was illegal and ill-timed.

The circular stated:

“Workers are reminded that the labour unions responsible for the affairs of the State Civil/Public Servants, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have dissociated themselves from the industrial action.

“The state government has implemented the new minimum wage and has commenced phased implementation of other agreements reached with labour, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the attendant economic challenges.”

In the circular, workers were also told that the ‘no work, no pay’ policy was still in force and warned that any worker who failed to report for duty would not be paid.

It added that a team led by the Head of Service would visit all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) and workers who did not report for work would be punished in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rule.

There have been calls for the NLC and the Trade Union Congress, which pulled out of the strike, to meet and resolve their differences in the interest of workers.