FRCN WORKERS PROTEST AGAINST POOR SALARY, OBSOLETE EQUIPMENT
Members of staff of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Enugu National Station have called on the Federal Government to take urgent steps towards uplifting the corporation and welfare of its staff.
They made the call during a two hour peaceful protest organized across the country by the three house unions, NUJ, RATTAWU and Senior Staff Association in the Corporation.
Members of staff who appeared in black attires carried placards with inscriptions “Increase our Salary,” “Stop Twenty Five percent Remittance,” “Replace Obsolete Equipment” among others.
Addressing the staff, the Chairman of RATTAWU FRCN, Enugu Chapter, Comrade Chris Agu, while enumerating the challenges the staff face, including, poor salary structure and obsolete equipment, called on the government to look into the poor working condition of staff.
“We are asking the Government of the Federation please remove FRCN from 25 percent IGR (Internally Generated Revenue); we are not 100 percent profit making organisation.
“If they can exempt us from paying this, we can be useful to ourselves but here again the salary is not quite reasonable; we need a better salary,” Comrade Chris said.
Also the Chairman NUJ FRCN Enugu Chapter, Comrade Emeka Anyalebechi, who lamented the negligence of the government on members and the working facilities, appealed for quick intervention in addressing the 15 Point Communiqué issued by the house unions during their meeting in May in Ilorin, Kwara State.
“Some of these equipment have lasted up to 60 years, we are still using them here and they are causing us a lot of trouble, that is why we are off and on, times without number; we are asking the government to replace these obsolete equipment with digital ones, it will help us.
“If Federal Government doesn’t come to our rescue or handles some of the demands as we highlighted them, we will go on total strike,” Comrade Anyalebechi threatened.
Addressing the workers, the Zonal Director Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Enugu National Station, Mr. Ike Okere, commended the members of staff for the peaceful manner they conducted themselves.
He said that the 15 Point Communiqué had been noted by the management and promised that some of the issues which were beyond the management of the Corporation would be presented to the federal government.
According to Mr. Okere, “the ones that can be done by the management would be done, the ones that need to go to the government to take action would be forwarded to government and that would be done.”
The workers later resumed work after the protest, urging the leadership of the in-house unions not to back down on the demands.
END