Minimum wage: Ekiti LG workers in street protest

Local government workers in Ekiti State, under the aegis, the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), on Wednesday, engaged in a street protest to drive home their demand for the payment of the N19,300 minimum wage they said their counterparts in the state were receiving, just as they began an indefinite strike over the matter.The NULGE members took to major streets of Ado Ekiti, the state capital, paralysed commercial activities in the city and were engaged by a detachment of the men of the state police command, who shot teargas at them.The development created confusion across Ado Ekiti, as the workers, who had arrived at Ado Ekiti from the 16 local government areas of the state, marched from their secretariat at Iyin Road to Okeyinmi and the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti.President of NULGE in the state, Mr Dele Ajayi, insisted that they were fighting for the rights of the workers and denied that the union was being used by a political party.According to Ajayi, 'having given the state government notices, there was no need to wait again, as it seemed the state government was not ready to listen to us,' adding, 'we gave the first 21 days ultimatum, followed by 14 days, seven days and finally three days, which lapsed 11.59 p.m. on Tuesday.'He said, 'since nothing positive was heard from the government, I, hereby invoke the power vested on me by the Constitution of our great union, by declaring a trade dispute via an indefinite strike.'Reacting to the development, the state Commissioner for Labour, Productivity and Human Capital Development, Mr Apalara Wole-Adewumi, advised members of the NULGE to shun any action that may be inimical to the development of the state.Adewumi said there was the need for the leadership of NULGE to embrace dialogue, adding that, the union should 'reciprocate the good intention of government by attending all scheduled meetings.
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