Why parliamentary workers boycott work in Delta

The non-acknowledgment of a two-weeks ultimatum issued by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) was the reason the workers have stayed away from work.

The Delta State Chairman of PASAN, Emmanuel Edozie, explained that all members of the union were directed to boycott their official duties sequel to the Association’s unheeded two weeks ultimatum, which elapsed on Sunday, November 13, 2016.

It would be recalled that the union had, on October 31, 2016, issued a five-point communiqué, jointly signed by Edozie and the PASAN Secretary, Emmanuel Osubor, to the legislative authorities informing them of the impending strike action.

In the communiqué, the congress had urged the speaker of the State House of assembly, Honourable Monday Igbuya and other principal officers of the house to, in line with the extant laws of the House of Assembly Service Commission (HASC), appoint new deputy clerk of the legislative house, following the retirement of the former occupant of that position, Barr Margret Kanu, in June last year (2015).

Also, the union had unequivocally demanded that the State Legislative Authorities, to honour their letters of a subsisting Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) earlier reached by both parties, by effecting the immediate payment of the 2016 wardrobe allowance of the HASC as well as the payment of outstanding benefits to the deceased staff of the HASC.

Further, the State PASAN called on the leadership of the State House of Assembly to adequately fund and recruit medical personnel, especially doctors, for the House of Assembly clinic, just as it requested an upward review of its staff impress with immediate effects.

In an interview with The Guardian, Edozie claimed that the leadership of the State Law making body was yet to favourably respond to the union’s demands despite its threat of a resumed industrial action at the expiration of the union’s two weeks ultimatum.

The PASAN chairman observed that members of the union are not pleased to boycott their official responsibilities, but noted that the action had become inevitable to press home their legitimate grievances.