Govt offices shut in Ekiti as workers strike lingers

By Rotimi Owomoyela Ado-Ekiti —All government offices in Ekiti State

were under lock and key yesterday, as the industrial action declared

by workers paralysed governance in the state. The workers, under the

aegis of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress

(TUC) and Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) , had embarked on indefinite

strike on Thursday to press home for series of demands from the state

government. The unions had last week Tuesday issued a 24-hour

ultimatum to Governor Ayodele Fayose to pay N512 million being money

deducted from December, 2015 salary or face industrial crisis. The

strike was later shelved due to the nationwide strike declared to

protest hike in fuel price by the federal government. The workers'

demands are: the release of the staff audit and verification conducted

in April, 2015, disclosure of the monthly internally generated

revenue, payment of arrears of salaries pension and gratuities,

payment of September 2014 salary to primary school teachers, payment

of 2014 and 2015 leave bonuses. Others include: implementation of

promotion of for 2013, 2014, 2015, approval of inter-cadre transfer,

remission of10% IGR to local government and stoppage of Joint

Allocation Committee's account, resuscitation of LG staff pension fund

and release of running grants to secondary schools and LGs. The labour

leaders said: "Your Excellency Sir, we have remained calm since these

days hoping that respite will soon come our ways, but hope is becoming

a mirage. Besides, there is a limit to endurance", they said. But

reacting to the strike in a televised broadcast yesterday, Fayose said

the state was facing serious financial crises that may not enable it

meet up with certain responsibilities immediately. He said workers

monthly wage bill is currently over N2 billion whereas federal

allocation keeps reducing from almost N3 billion to as low as N751m in

April. "Even before going on their strike, I got to know that many of

them no longer come to office while others were going late but why I

refused to come hard on those involved was that I had no moral

justification to do so since I know we were owing them. "I can't stop

workers from going on strike, we shall be waiting till when they come

back, but they must realise that strike is not the best option,''

Fayose said. "Even in Government House, we don't have money to power

generators, whereas, I cannot sell myself or members of my family to

raise funds, things are that difficult", Fayose said.