Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
There is disquiet in Bayelsa State as the Civil Service Reforms by the state government has affected 222 workers of government-owned media outfits namely the State Broadcasting Corporation and the Newspaper Corporation, publishers of the New Waves.
Checks from the list released by the Office of the Head of Service, Rev. Thomas Zidabamo, indicated that 86 workers from the New Waves newspaper and 136 workers from the Radio Bayelsa were affected in the on-going reforms.
The affected workers were said to have dropped from the media organisations over reasons bordering on over staffing and have been directed to meet the committee set up to review their Civil Service status.
Though the State Government had, last weekend, through the Office of the State Deputy Governor, assured workers in the state that they would not be thrown into the streets due to the on-going reforms, investigations revealed that the released list is causing great apprehension in the state.
Already the various unions, led by the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, have stood up in solidarity with the affected workers kicking against the on-going reforms.
The NUJ claimed the reform is an witch-hunt due to political inclination and issue of unionism as those affected in the State Broadcasting Corporation include the leadership of the Radio, Television and Theatre Art Workers Union (RATTAWU).
The leadership of the NUJ called on the State Government to review its decision to sack over two hundred media workers in the guise of redeployment.
The state’s chairman of NUJ, Mr. John Angese and Secretary Mr. Stanley Imgbi, referring to a circular from the Office of the Head of Service to heads of media parastatal to redeploy excess staff, noted that the parameter for determining excess workers is shrouded in secrecy saying most of the best hands have been affected.
“The issue of professionalism and competence has been thrown to the wind while compiling the list. The directive to stop salaries of the affected workers from the April 2018 voucher to be paid into the unpaid salary account in the state treasury is not a pointer to redeployment.”