Delta casual workers protest ‘dream killer’ absorption exercise

Casual workers in Delta State jostling for their appointment letters
into the state’s Civil Service have described the exercise as “a dream killer.”
Those who were not absorbed, though met all criteria for absorption,
have expressed displeasure over the politics that allegedly crept into the exercise.
The Eagle Online survey discovered that the agency saddled with the
responsibility of clearing the casual workers across the Ministries,
Departments and Agencies in the state, had introduced nepotism into
the exercise as less than half of the casual workers were absorbed.
This was against the promise of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who
pronounced on May 1 this year that the 1,072 casual workers in the
state be absorbed with immediate effect.
It was learnt that the conditions attached to their absorption were
cumbersome for the casual workers to meet, having toiled in the heat
of the sun in the MDAs with the hope of absorption.
Sources close to the office of the state’s Head of Service, Okey
Ofili, said at the time the governor made the pronouncement of
absorbing the casual workers, the number was less than what was later
submitted to the civil service, hence the delay since 2009 when the
pronouncement was first made, which led to many of the genuine ones
not getting their appointment letters as it became more competitive.
They blamed politicians and heads of the MDAs for the inflation of the figures and enlisting their relations and friends, who were not
engaged in the MDAs prior to the governor’s pronouncement of
absorption of casual workers.
As the exercise progressed on Friday, the conditions laid down by the
state government ran counter to the expectations of the workers.
The selection of Junior Staff, with low certificates, according to a
source, was not part of the governor’s pronouncement on May 1, 2013.
It was also learnt that in the state-owned-newspaper, THE POINTER,
casual workers, who constitute the brain behind the success of the
newspaper outfit, especially as the Features Editors, the Business
Editors, the Education Editors, the Arts Editors, Proof Readers,
Sub-Editors, Copy Writers and the Photographers – attached to the
State House of Assembly and Office of the Wife of the Governor, who
are casual workers, had worked tirelessly but could not make the list
of the absorption exercise.
Following the directive of government that all agencies should lay-off casual workers, the management of the company, it was learnt, had
changed the nomenclature of the casual workers to freelancers, so as
to portray them as non staff of the state.
An impeccable source close to the management of the organization told
The Eagle Online on Friday that the managers of The Pointer Newspapers “failed to make case for their casual staff at the appropriate time”.
The source added that over 10 persons, who were absorbed in the media
house, out of a total of 35 that were sent to the state civil service
for consideration, not all are currently in the company, as many had
got jobs in other organizations as the absorption process lingered.
He said: “Imagine them employing someone who is already a journalist
with the Vanguard newspapers, who has left the company for many years, whereas our friends that have been here labouring in the midst of humiliation but believing that they would be absorbed were not taken.
“To be sincere with you, the guys are not happy with the system.
“Many of them are married with children.
“You can imagine what it takes those in the service to feed their
children, let alone those who are working but going home with stipends every month.”
Although, the source commended Uduaghan for taking the bold step,
having placed embargo on their employment for over 13 years, he
however lamented that “those that were not considered were the most
active ones whom the company cannot do without, lest it collapses.”