Labour cautions Ekiti Assembly against unlawful sack, victimisation of workers

Organised labour, yesterday, cautioned the Ekiti State House of Assembly against alleged attempt to disengage some workers under the guise of staff audit.

In a letter endorsed by the secretaries of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Taiwo Akinyemi, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Lawrence Kuloogun and Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Gbenga Olowoyo, said the unions would resist any attempt to sack some workers under the facade of staff audit.

In the letter dated January 11, 2021 and addressed to the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, they warned that sacking any worker at this point would endanger the relationship between the labour and the Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration.

Titled: Staff Audit In Ekiti State House Of Assembly Service Commission, Need For Caution, the unions expressed disgust over the alleged audit, which it described as a move that would destroy the trust between the labour and government.

“The attention of organised labour has been drawn to activities of the House of Assembly Service Commission through a letter dated January 9, 2021, by Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PSAN) in respect of the staff audit report before the commission.

“As a matter of necessity, organised labour fumed over any action under the guise of staff audit to disrupt industrial peace among public servants in Ekiti State.

“There is no doubting the fact that the affected staff have been on the state’s integrated payroll solution system (Biometrics) since 2011,” it stated.

The labour leaders insisted that following from the above, it would not tolerate sack or victimisation of any worker as responsible leaders, urging the lawmakers to embrace negotiation.

“We hereby admonish the leadership of the House of Assembly Service Commission leadership and most expediently the Speaker to stop any action that may snowball into the sacking of any worker. This is not the best of time for such action,” they said.

Earlier, a letter dated January 9, 2021 and signed by Chairman (PSAN), Ekiti chapter, Gbenga Oluwajuyigbe and addressed to the NLC Chairman, Kolapo Olatunde, informed about the plan sack some workers in the Assembly.

Olajuyigbe urged the labour unions to intervene with a view to averting a New Year calamity about to befall some of his colleagues.

Meanwhile, at the Ekiti State University, some disengaged staff members are still waiting for their recall following the court judgment that ordered their immediate reinstatement.

Akure Division of the Industrial Court in Ondo State in its judgment of December 8, 2020 delivered by Justice K. D. Damulak, directed the university management to recall the disengaged staff and pay them their outstanding entitlements.