Salary arrears: Ekiti workers down tools in protest

Workers in Ekiti State today have embarked on an indefinite strike to press home their demand for five months’ salary arrears and other outstanding entitlements.

A statement by the Secretary of the Joint Negotiating Committee Blessing Oladele says an industrial action is the only option for labour following the expiration at midnight on Wednesday, the ultimatum given to  the  Fayose administration to settle  all outstanding workers’ salaries, pension arrears  and other allowances.

A further insight into the reason adduced by the Labour movement in Ekiti revealed that the Ekiti State Government is presently owing its labour force including local government workers and teachers, five months salary arrears, 2014 and 2015 leave bonuses, while primary school teachers’ are still owed October 2014 salary with the State pensioners being owed seven months pension arrears and gratuities of 2011 to date.

Efforts so far made to get an official reaction of the relevant Ekiti State Government officials to speak on the industrial action embarked on by Labour has remained futile as at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, all government establishments and offices across Ekiti State have remained shut as the civil servants in the State had continued staying away from their various offices since last week when the fuel subsidy industrial action which culminated in the present industrial action commenced. It would be recalled that the Chairman of the Ekiti State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Ade Adesanmi had on the last day of the three day fuel subsidy protest threatened the Ekiti State Government of an imminent indefinite strike action to press home their demands for payment of their outstanding salary arrears and entitlements.