Apparently angered by Governor Ayodele Fayose’s alleged lukewarm attitude towards the payment of arrears of their salaries, local government workers in Ekiti State are proceeding on an indefinite strike.
The local government staff expressed dismay that they are still being owed seven month arrears of salaries and no serious efforts were being made to offset the debt.
Acting under the aegis of the Ekiti State Council of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the workers said the industrial action will commence from Thursday, August 23.
Their decision to stay away from work was reached at an emergency NULGE State Executive Council (SEC) meeting held on Friday at the union secretariat along Iyin Road, Ado Ekiti.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting a copy of which was made available to The Nation on Sunday, Ekiti NULGE condemned Fayose’s intention to employ 2,000 new workers when those who are already in the system are being owed arrears of salaries.
It reads: “The NULGE, Ekiti State Branch, at its meeting held on Friday, 17th August, 2018, wish to remind the government that out of the four demands of the union, in its communique issued on 25th July, 2018, only one of them was partially attended to; which is less than 5 per cent of our total demands.
“The union wishes to reiterate that in spite of our agitation, the government only paid up to December 2017 salary leaving seven (7) months yet unpaid.
“It is evident now that the government is insensitive to the workers’ plight because the union has it on good authority that the government is planning to add to the burden of the local governments by recruiting more hands to the teaching sector.
“For the sake of clarity, the union has nothing against the recruitment into SUBEB, but on condition that all salaries and other emoluments owed local government workers be paid before the commencement of the payment of the newly recruited personnel.
“In view of the above, the State Executive Council (SEC) in session therefore directs all members of the union to stay at home indefinitely from Thursday, 23rd August, 2018 until further directives by the union.”