SaharaReporters reported on Monday that organised labour had directed the picketing of the Corporation's headquarters on Tuesday (today) following the sacking of the workers “without recourse to due process”.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has bowed to pressure and recalled the workers of the Enugu State Water Corporation he recently sacked for not meeting the minimum N50 million monthly internally generated revenue target on water sales.
SaharaReporters reported on Monday that organised labour had directed the picketing of the Corporation's headquarters on Tuesday (today) following the sacking of the workers “without recourse to due process”.
The organised labour had issued the picketing notice after a marathon meeting with the State Head of Service and other union leaders.
According to sources, the organised labour decried the alleged arbitrariness and impunity of the administration in the state.
Organised labour said it negates the principles of due process and insisted that there would be no work at the Corporation starting from Tuesday until the sacked workers were recalled and the Special Personal Assistant to the Governor on Water and Waste Management, Andreas Gebauer, was removed.
SaharaReporters reported on Sunday that one of the sacked workers identified as Christopher Abonyi - a level 16 officer - reportedly died of a heart attack earlier that morning.
Abonyi, who is due for retirement by 2025, was on annual leave when he was called to his office and handed a termination letter.
It was learnt that Abonyi’s daughter had undergone major surgery that cost his family millions of naira.
He died from shock, family relations told SaharaReporters.
The newspaper reported on January 30, 2024, that Governor Mbah’s administration had sacked no fewer than 20 staff members of the state water corporation for not meeting their monthly IGR target.
It also reported that the 20 workers who were issued termination letters on Monday, January 29, were between level 13 and directorship.
The letter dated January 26, 2024, and titled: "Termination of Appointment" was signed by Andreas Gebauer, the Special Personal Assistant to Governor Mbah on Water and Waste Management.
Sources told SaharaReporters that the affected workers were each given a mandate to generate N5 million every month from their area of coverage amid the governor’s push to generate $30 billion in revenue monthly.
However, the governor said collectively they could generate N50 million as the minimum instead of N100 million that the N5 million per person would normally amount to.
The sack letter received by one of the affected workers who spoke to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity read: "Management has considered your performance and found it unsatisfactory and has decided to terminate your appointment on the grounds of general inefficiency and inability to meet your target.
"As a result, your appointment with ENUGU STATE WATER CORPORATION is hereby TERMINATED with immediate effect."
Following the pressure from the organised labour in the state to shut down the water corporation, and threats to embark on statewide industrial action, Governor Mbah after a meeting with the leaders of the union on Monday evening, directed the affected workers to return to work.
The state chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Ben Asogwa confirmed the development to some journalists on Tuesday.
He said: "We actually intervened in the matter and it has been resolved. We were with the governor on the issue yesterday and we found out that it wasn't actually the governor's directive or action.
"So he has directed that everybody should report back to duty. The issue has already been taken care of.”
Also, one of the affected staff members confirmed to SaharaReporters on the telephone that they were ar work on Tuesday and were granted access to their offices.
"However, we are still waiting for an official letter from the Head of Service to authenticate and back up the governor's directive on paper," the worker said.