UNFAIR TREATMENT TO DESOPADEC STAFF BY THE BOARD
We the staff of DESOPADEC under the staff Union (AUPCTRE) wish to draw your attention to the plight staff of the Commission are passing through.
Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) was created in 2007 with a mission to put smiles on the faces of the people in the host oil producing Communities of the Delta State through massive infrastructural and human capital development.
On this note, the staff of DESOPADEC were drawn from the Oil Producing Communities to carry out the DESOPADEC mission.
DESOPADEC STAFF were employed, and a lot of challenges came out because of misappropriation and mismanagement of the DESOPADEC funds and so, the fund could not meet the responsibility of taking care of the staff.
DESOPADEC Board came out in one of their meetings in the year 2009 to slashed 30% of the staff salaries for three (3) consecutive Months (July, August and September,2009) from the staff salaries to enable the Board pay their outstanding bills accumulated in different hotels, and thereafter, a reversal of the 30% salary would be made and continued the payment as usual.
As we speak, no reversal was made and the staff were forced under duress to endorse another appointment letters to cover their fraudulent act.
However, many things went wrong because of greed and corruption, and the Union has no option than to take the Commission to Industrial Court in Bayelsa State to seek for justice in 2018.
Below are the prayers in Court:
- Illegal deduction of 30% from DESOPADEC Staff salaries since August – October 2009 till date.
- Non payment of our End-of-Year bonus since 2016 till date ; this was removed immediately Governor Okowa assumed office.
- No medical benefits for DESOPADEC staff. Most DESOPADEC Staff are sick because of no proper medical care.
- The Management of DESOPADEC bluntly refused to make Check-off deductions from staff Union members.
- Irregular promotion of DESOPADEC Staff. It is only 20% of the staff strength that is promoted yearly. Management has also refused to reverse staff years of service reduced for six year of staff service years.
- Intimidation and Victimization of Union Executives is a continuous ordeal Union Executives are facing in DESOPADEC. As at the time of this report the Chairman of the Senior Staff Union is redeployed to remote area so that he cannot function efficiently as opposed to labour law. Some of them were suspended without salary.
Above are the reasons why the Union took the Board to the Industrial Court to seek for justice in 2018 and case is still lingering in Industrial Court till date.
Other demands presented to the Management that are not responded to:
- Retirees benefits are not paid regularly: Retirees are passing through severe hardship with the presence economic conditions of the country.
- Death Benefits: Beneficiaries of diseased staff suffers untold hardship because the Management refused/delayed the payment of diseased staff entitlements.
- Minimum Wage: The minimum wage signed and approved by the Governor for DESOPADEC staff is kept secret from the Union while only the Management calculated the Minimum Wage without involving the Staff Union. In the process of demanding to get the differential of the minimum wage, the Senior staff Union Chairman was redeployed from the Head Office to a remote Area Office so as to weaken the Union agitation. DESOPADEC Was modelled like the NDDC
DESOPADEC was modelled after the NDDC by Gov. Okowa, but to the surprise of staff, it is only the Board members that enjoy the NDDC types of allowance, non for the staff throughout the year.
Therefore, the staff demands the following allowances from the Management:
- Cost of Living Adjustment.
- Children Education Allowance.
- Furniture Allowance.
- Wardrobe Allowance.
- Security Allowance.
- Energy Allowance.
- Long Service Allowance.
- Meritorious Allowance.
- Furniture Allowance.
- Staff Conditions of Service reviewed by six Board members, HODs Union Representatives and other staff since May, 2004 is yet to be released.
- WAISTED FUNDS
The staff of the Commission are surprised that the Management is constructing an elevator in a building that has functional elevator. Two elevators in one building meanwhile staff are suffering with poor Conditions of Service.
We plead with you to intervene on the matter by drawing the Governor’s attention so as to finding a lasting solution to the afore-mentioned issues.
God bless you Sir.
