The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Rivers State Government to reconsider the recent dismissal of local government workers, advocating for a fresh revalidation process to ensure that genuine employees are not unfairly affected. The appeal was made by the state NLC Chairman, Alex Agwanwor, during a press conference held in Port Harcourt.

Agwanwor's request comes in light of the state government's recent implementation of a payroll verification exercise aimed at identifying 'ghost' workers across the 23 local government areas. Governor Siminalayi Fubara, while inaugurating the Omademe Internal Roads Project, defended the necessity of this verification, emphasizing the need for fiscal discipline in the public service.

The NLC Chairman expressed concern that some legitimate workers may have been inadvertently omitted during the verification process. He urged the state government and the Local Government Service Commission to allow these workers to present their employment documents, including letters of employment, staff identity cards, nominal rolls, and bank statements, for further verification.

Agwanwor stated, "We are appealing in respect of the revalidation exercise which was approved for workers. Maybe some workers were omitted or not captured during the exercise and the affected workers should be given a reasonable opportunity to provide evidence of their employment." He stressed the importance of ensuring that no genuine worker is permanently removed from the payroll without an opportunity to clarify their employment status.

Furthermore, Agwanwor noted that the NLC is willing to collaborate with the state government to resolve these issues amicably. He also mentioned that workers who were employed without the approval of the Local Government Service Commission during their employment period should be considered for revalidation, as they could fill any existing vacancies.

However, he clarified that the union would not advocate for those who were illegally employed or underage, stating, "For those underaged we don’t have any support for those ones. Any other one that has illegal status in their employment should be put aside."

The NLC's appeal highlights the ongoing challenges faced by local government workers in Rivers State and underscores the need for a fair verification process that protects the rights of legitimate employees amidst efforts to eliminate fraudulent practices in the public sector.