Workers in Ekiti State have issued a fourteen-day ultimatum to Governor Ayo Fayose to pay all arrears of salaries and pensions of retirees.

Acting under the aegis of Ekiti State Organized Labour, the workers said the Fayose government must clear all arrears of workers’ entitlements before a new government takes office on October 16. The workers’ demands were contained in a bulletin issued on Saturday.

Their demands also include payment of over seven months deduction, payment nine-month arrears to local government workers and primary school teachers.

They also advocated for payment of eleven months and six months pensions to local government pensioners and state government pensioners respectively.

The bulletin reads: “Workers in the public service of Ekiti State have been suffering over the years with nobody to rescue them in relation to payment of salaries, pensions and other benefits.

“The import of this is that the condition of service of an average worker in Ekiti is deplorable or poor despite the huge funds allocated to Ekiti State from the Federation Account between 2014 to date.
“In view of the present development in the state occasioned by the result of the governorship election, it has become necessary to assess the implication on welfare of workers vis-à-vis the arrears of unpaid salaries.

“In order to avoid a situation whereby the incoming government may wish to foot drag on the payment of the arrears of salaries on the premise that the organized labour was inept to the payment of same by the outgoing government thus amounting t a huge financial burden on the new government.

“The state government is hereby given a 14-day ultimatum to meet these demands.”

•Culled from The Nation`