By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
The past Chairmen of both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Aluko and Barrister Kolawole Olaiya under the aegis of the Ekiti Worker’s Rescue Team held a total showdown today at the state secretariat where all the officies of the Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Boards are located in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Both former Chairmen, Mr. Ayo Aluko and Barrister Kolawole Olaiya led other union leaders from different affiliates bodies under both the state NLC and the TUC to declare a total strike action and dissolution of the current State Executive Councils (SEC) of the NLC and the TUC in the State.
Workers resuming back to their work places after a two days sallah break declared by the Federal Government on Tuesday and Wednesday were ordered to vacate their Offices as early as 8:55am this morning while those sighted coming to work were told to go back home by the angry leaders.
Their actions are as a result of the several months of arrears of unpaid workers salaries and pensions owed by the outgoing Governor of the State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose and the uncared attitude of the current Executives of the Ekiti NLC and TUC led by Comrade Ade Adesanmi and Barrister Kolawole Olaiya respectively.
The Workers who converged at the frontage of the Ministry of Information were seeing complaining bitterly and seriously lamenting over the insensitivity of both the outgoing State government led by Governor Fayose and the current leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and that of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) led by Comrade Ade Adesanmi and Comrade Odunayo Adesoye. The angry workers through voice votes assented to the decision to go on an indefinite strike action and equally dissolved the current State Executives of both the NLC and TUC.
Ayo Aluko, the former Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ekiti State, said: “he led the Ekiti Workers to observed one minute silence for those who lost their lives during the course of not been paid several months of salaries and pensions in the state. Our current labour leaders in Ekiti State have lost their values and their salt. Governor Fayose has failed in his promises to Ekiti Workers. Pensioners too are been owned several months of arrears of pensions. We want you Ekiti workers to know that we are not fighting the Governor but the current labour leaders who lack the temerity and the courage to protect the interests of the Ekiti Workers. Ade Adesanmi and Odunayo Adesoye has lost their taste as a salt and has now become decay. Presently, local government workers are been owned 8 months, 6 months for State workers with 7 months unpaid deductions. As a result of all these, I therefore declare that there should be no activity in the Ministries, Departments and at the NLC State Secretariat henceforth. The strike is going to be a total one and the Ekiti Workers will be liberated at the end of the day. All offices is therefore to remain closed till October 16th, 2018”
While the Trade Union Congress (TUC) former Chairman, Barrister Kolawole Olaiya was addressing the mammoth, he said: “our IGR in Ekiti State is unknown till now. From today, all government offices remains closed right now. All Ekiti Workers will remain shut indefinitely including all the sixteen local governments Secretariats across the State till the outgoing government acceded to the immediate payments of outstanding workers salaries in the State. All offices irrespective of your status should vacate your offices right now. Fayose is a very wicked Governor”.
The workers that converged at the State Secretariat Complex carried different inscriptions such as: ‘Fayose wicked government should go’, ‘Ekiti Workers are eating from dustbin’, ‘Stop diverting our funds to projects that have no direct impart on the people’, ‘Ebora ti onje jollof-rice, pay our salary’, ‘Bread and Butter Unionism is counterpart productive’, ‘National Assembly.