Ekiti State local government workers begin indefinite strike

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Ekiti has began an indefinite strike. The union said the strike followed the failure of the state government  to honour an agreement signed recently at the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting of September 4.

NULGE also warned the outgoing Ayo Fayose administration against fresh recruitment when it had yet to clear the salary arrears owed workers. The union said after a meeting in Ado-Ekiti that the strike would be indefinite until all contentious issues were addressed. It warned that it would not hesitate to deal with any worker who disobeyed the directive.  

A communiqué signed by the state’s President, Olubunmi Ajimoko, and  Secretary, Suleiman Alero, expressed concern that salaries had remained static and pensions unpaid.  

”We again wish to stress that additional burden should not be put on JAAC until our various arrears are cleared. The case of those termed “hurriedly employed’’ in 2003 should serve as a lesson to all who remember history. In view of the insensitivity of this present administration, even at the point of winding up, when we feel that corrections of past errors should be made, it has become painfully obvious that no concrete agreement can be respected by this administration.

The union is therefore calling all its members in the 16 local governments, the related commission, boards and departments to proceed on an indefinite strike action from Friday. We humbly wish to stress that this position will only be reviewed when we see a physical evidence of the political will to alleviate our members’ predicament, especially payment of all arrears of our salaries,’’ the communique said.

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