Public
workers in Edo State are set to commence an indefinite industrial action on
March 3, due to unresolved contentious issues bordering on salary and
promotion.
The Chairman of the Nigeria
Labour Congress, NLC, in the state, Emmanuel Ademokun, made the disclosure on
Friday in......
Benin.
The workers
embarked on a strike in December, 2013 to demand the release of four years of
outstanding promotion arrears to workers.
They also
agitated for the payment of 53.37 per cent salary relativity among others.
The strike which lasted four days
was suspended to give room for more dialogue between the government and labour.
Mr. Ademokun
said two months after the Benin monarch intervened, the State Government had
done nothing to address the contentious issues.
He said that
efforts made to meet with the State Government for amicable discussion had
constantly been rebuffed.
“We, however, sent a communiqué
of our meeting to the governor and up till now, there is no response from him.
“Therefore,
we have decided that come March 3, workers in Edo State are going to embark on
in an indefinite strike and the strike will not be called off until our demands
are met.
“This time around, we will not
listen to any person. People who would want to prevail on us not to go on
strike should first prevail on the governor to meet our demands,” he stated.
Reacting to
the planned strike, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Kassim
Afebua, expressed the willingness of the State Government to meet with the NLC
on the issues raised by the workers. “If
there is anything, it is that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole listens to all shades of
opinions.
“Even some of us who are in
government tend to query the governor’s magnanimity in deploring too much of
his time to trying to explain issues.
“The
governor has remained pro-labour and he is one that listens to the agitation of
labour.
“In some
other states, you hardly see the chief executive officer of a state doing this;
but in Edo State, the governor has listening ears to all shades of opinions.
“This is
because of his background as a labour leader. To us, strike should not be
considered as the first option.
“It is only
when you do not have opportunity to dialogue on issues that you will want to
resort to strike as a weapon to force the government to do certain things,” Mr.
Afebua said.
(NAN)
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