Sixteen former staff of the defunct Abia State Road Maintenance Agency, ABROMA, have appealed to Governor Alex Otti to intervene in their challenges over low salaries and stagnant grade levels.
The staff, who said they were employed in 2014 by the previous administration in the state, said they had remained on Grade Levels 2 and 3 and were still receiving N21,000 and N23,000, respectively, as monthly salaries.
Speaking to journalists in Umuahia in a passionate appeal, the spokesperson for the 16 former road maintenance agency workers, Mr Ikedichi Orisa, said all staff of ABROMA were integrated into the Abia State Ministry of Works following the repeal of the agency by the present administration in the state.
He noted that the reintegrated staff resumed duties after undergoing successful verification but regretted that they were still receiving N21,000 and N23,000 salaries through the same repealed ABROMA payment portal, while remaining on the same grade levels at which they were employed 12 years ago, despite now working in the Abia State Ministry of Works.
According to Orisa, they had followed due processes in appealing for their salaries to be improved in line with the minimum wage being paid by the administration of Governor Alex Otti, but the efforts, he said, had not yielded the desired results.
The former ABROMA staff also said that the Abia State Commissioner for Works, Don Otumchere Oti, had written to the Abia State Civil Service Commission to look into their complaints, even as they said the Abia State Head of Service and other relevant government agencies were aware of their situation.
He recalled that ABROMA staff were not paid salaries by the administration of former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu from April 2017 until he left office, before the administration of Governor Alex Otti took over and started paying their salaries.
“We were employed in 2014, but our salaries stopped coming in 2017. The former administration of Okezie Ikpeazu did not pay us from April 2017 until he left office in May 2023. But when Governor Alex Otti took over, he verified us and started paying us, and we are very grateful to Governor Otti for ending the seven years of non-payment of salaries.
“But we are bringing it to his knowledge that we are still receiving the N21,000 and N23,000 we were earning under the repealed ABROMA, and we have remained on the same grade levels at which we were employed, despite our integration into the Abia State Ministry of Works.
“We have families and aged parents who depend on us. Some of us are sick, while others come from distant places to work. That is why we are appealing to our Governor to intervene in our situation as he did before, so that we can receive the same minimum wage as other staff, as well as gain promotion in our grade levels,” Orisa appealed.
Workers beg Gov Otti for help, as salaries, grade levels remain static for 12 years