Unpaid salaries: Ekiti workers storm secretariat, enforce strike with cudgels
Ekiti and chased away their colleagues who had resumed to their duty
posts, over crisis surrounding unpaid salaries.
The protesting workers, led by former chairman of Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC), Ayodeji Aluko and his counterpart in Trade Union
Congress (TUC), Kolawole Olaiya, accused the government of deceit over
its commitment to defraying outstanding salaries being owed them.
The former labour leaders under the auspices of Ekiti Workers Rescue
Team, who began the protest at about 8.25am, addressed the workers in
front of the secretariat, where they ordered their members to leave
their offices and begin an indefinite strike.
They said it was wrong for Governor Ayodele Fayose, who accused his
predecessor, Kayode Fayemi, of insensitivity for owing one month
salary in 2014, to have allegedly betrayed the trust and confidence
the workers reposed on him that earned him victory in 2014.
The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), in a
statement by its State President, Bunmi Ajimoko had earlier told his
members across Ekiti State to begin a strike yesterday, but was later
called off due to undisclosed circumstances.
The irate workers also dissolved the state executives of the NLC and
TUC, headed by Comrades Ade Adesanmi and Odunayo Adesoye respectively,
alleging that they have become passive and shying away from carrying
out their responsibilities as labour leaders.
The leaders had hardly ended their speeches when some workers stormed
the offices and started chasing away their members with cudgels.
They also observed a minute-silence in honour of their members who had
died due to financial challenges engendered by epileptic salary
payment.
Addressing the workers , Aluko said: "Today, we are dissolving the
executives of NLC and TUC in Ekiti and they stand dissolved, because
their leaders, Ade Adesanmi and Odunayo Adesoye have lost their
values. They are no longer talking about the welfare of the workers
they were expected to defend.
"We decided not to do this protest before election, so that they won't
read political meanings to it. Workers have died, just because they
are not paid. In 2014, Governor Fayose said any governor who owed just
a month salary because he is building infrastructure doesn't worth
being a governor.
"Today, the governor is owing pensioners ten months, LG workers eight
months and civil servants and teachers are owed six months. We are not
fighting Governor Fayose but he must pay the workers.
"Shortly after the election, Fayose quickly paid six month salaries
and furniture allowances of political office holders, then what
becomes of our teeming workers?
"It was sad that Adesanmi and Adesoye decided to give Fayemi three
months moratorium to pay workers, when they were practically doing
nothing to ensure that Governor Fayose doesn't leave office a debtor
governor as he promised.
"We hereby declare indefinite strike commencing from today and only
the national secretariats of both TUC and NLC can negotiate on our
behalf, because we no longer trust the State leaderships of the two
congresses," he said.
In a leaflet circulated by the workers under the aegis of Ekiti
workers Rescue Team, they accused the labour leaders of allegedly
getting a sum of N14 million as mobilization from Governor Fayose to
enlist their backing for the July 14 governorship election.
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