Ekiti LG workers begin indefinite strike, kick against govt’s fresh recruitment

Local government workers in Ekiti State under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) have embarked on an indefinite strike.

The workers took the decision at an emergency meeting, on Wednesday, in Ado Ekiti where they said the strike would commence on Friday (today).

In a communique issued at the meeting, the workers said the strike became necessary owing to the alleged negligence of workers’ welfare and their unpaid salary arrears.

In the communiqué signed by the President of NULGE in the state, Mr Olubunmi Ajimoko, and the Secretary, Suleiman Alero, the council workers said scores of people were retiring from both the local government and teaching services, but that salaries had remained “static with pensions increasing drastically monthly.”

The communiqué said “against the background of this government neglecting our earlier advice on the timeliness of fresh recruitment into the services of both the local government and the teaching sector, we again wish ti 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,” NULGE said.

It will be recalled that the union had earlier shelved a proposed strike in August after a meeting with representatives of the state government.

The workers said they were aggrieved that despite their goodwill to the state government, the government had failed to honour an agreement signed recently at the Joint Account Allocation Committee of September 4.

The workers also warned the government against a fresh recruitment exercise it had commenced, saying this was uncalled for when it had yet to clear salary arrears it was owing to the workers still in service.

The union charged all local government workers in the state to embark on strike from Friday (today) “until all contentious issues, including social security, payment to Federal Inland Revenue Service and the amount for net distributable were addressed,” NAND warned that any worker that disobeyed the union would be dealt with.