The strike embarked upon by staff of Edo State House of Assembly yesterday took a new dimension as angry workers locked out the Speaker, Hon. Uyi Igbe and other principal officers from parliamentary proceedings over their non-inclusion in the new minimum wage
The angry assembly staff numbering over 200 blocked all the major entrance to the Anthony Enahoro Complex insisting that they must be captured in the new minimum wage as agreed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Joint negotiating Council (JNC) in the state.
It would be recalled that teachers in the state have shut down all public schools in protest over their non-inclusion in the N18, 000 minimum wage as approved by the Comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
Also the assembly workers vowed to continue the industrial unrest should management fail to address the pending promotion of over 200 staff.
Chairman of the union, Mr. Adebor Andrew who addressed journalists expressed shock when the Assembly civil service commission sent a voucher to the Accountant General for onward payment of the new wage, but to its chagrin, the voucher was returned unattended to.
He said the government action ran contrary to the law which stipulated that “The remuneration of Staff of the Edo State House of Assembly shall be as determined by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission in the case of the Clerk or as obtainable in the State Civil Service in the case of others”.
“We have no special salary structure; if we are enjoying the same salary structure like other civil service, why are they excluding us from the minimum wage”.
LEADESHIP gathered that the House which was scheduled to proceed on recess today, would now depend on the outcome of the workers strike to convene and formally adopt the motion on recess. ?