By Austin Ogwuda

Asaba—LARGESSE  from the Delta State Government, including the ones that came before the Christmas, has torn apart the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, PSJNC, in the state, resulting in the emergence of two factions with each claiming to be the authentic body representing the interests of the workers.

Addressing newsmen in Asaba, yesterday, a faction of the council led by Mr. Tony Toki, said that it had sacked the incumbent chairman, Mr. Goodluck Ofobruku.
According to the Toki-led faction, “the meeting appreciates the release of 10 new buses to industrial unions in the state by the state governor and has observed with dismay the obvious laxity and mindset by the current leadership of PSJNC, of not consulting and recognising union hierarchy in the state .”

In a separate briefing, Ofobruku, on his part,  said: “I am still the chairman of PJNC. The truth of the matter is that Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour and Industrial Relations, Mr Mike Okeme, has been behind my purported impeachment by picking few impersonators, who are not members, because I refused to dance to his tunes.

“Anytime government gives us a vehicle or any other thing, Okeme wants to hijack them. That is all because I said no, that he should concern himself with his office and not behave as the sole administrator of labour .

“We are appealing to the governor to call him to order in order to continue to maintain the harmonious industrial relations in the state. Ask them what offence did they find me guilty of and whether the so called meeting summoned constitutionally? The impersonators who signed the so-called communique did not even meet the two-third majority required to unseat the leadership, in line with JNC’s constitution. And out of 10 persons who signed, three of them are not JNC members while others have admitted that they were coerced into signing same,” he stated.