THE Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, in Ekiti State, yesterday, declared an indefinite strike against the state government, beginning from Friday (today), for alleged negligence of workers welfare and unpaid salary arrears.
Similarly, indigenes of Ado Ekiti, under the auspices of Ado Ewi Indigenes Rights Protection Forum and Ado Ekiti Youth Coalition, yesterday, protested against Governor Ayodele Fayose for selling the Oba’s Market in the town to traders, rather than allowing the local government to rent it out to users. This was as the State House of Assembly approved the N10 billion supplementary budget requested by Governor Fayose.
The workers are aggrieved that despite their goodwill to the administration, the state government had failed to honour an agreement signed recently at the Joint Account Allocation Committee of September 4. The umbrella body of local government workers in Ekiti also warned the state government against fresh recruitment exercise when it had yet to clear various arrears owed serving workers. Rising from an emergency meeting held, on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti, NULGE directed all workers to embark on strike from Friday until all contentious issues including social security; payment to Federal Inland Revenue Service were addressed.
In a communiqué signed by the state’s President, Olubunmi Ajimoko, and the Secretary, Suleiman Alero, NULGE 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 to stress that additional burden should not be put on JAAC until our various arrears are cleared. The case of those 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.”
