Labour protests mass sack of workers by Ekiti govt, urges reversal

The organised labour in Ekiti State has protested the ongoing mass sack of workers by the Ekiti State Government. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the state government recently sacked 1,000 workers of Ekiti State University. Also sacked were 200 workers of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), who received their sack letters […]

The organised labour in Ekiti State has protested the ongoing mass sack of workers by the Ekiti State Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the state government recently sacked 1,000 workers of Ekiti State University.

Also sacked were 200 workers of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), who received their sack letters few days to Christmas.

The labour movement, in a letter addressed to the governor, expressed disgust at the development which it described as “as ill-timed and too arbitrary”.

It warned against continuation of the trend, claiming that there were plans to sack more workers across all ministries, departments, agencies and schools.

“Labour deems this letter highly expedient owing to insinuations that Gov Fayemi is not aware of the mass sack in EKSU and EKSUTH,” the letter dated Jan. 3, 2020, said.

It was jointly signed by Mr Sola Adigun, Chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Ekiti chapter, Mr Taiwo Akinyemi, Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Lawrence Kuloogun, TUC secretary, and Joint Negotiating Council’s scribe, Mr Gbenga Olowoyo.

The letter said that the sacking scenario was worrisome, regretting that it was attracting negative attention to the state.

“For instance, information at the disposal of Organised Labour leadership as well as in the public domain indicates that due process was not followed before those affected were sacked or compulsorily retired.

“We have also found that some workers that had up to four years before retirement were caught up in the web of this ugly development which is not in the best interest of the entire workforce and generality of Ekiti people.

“We also found that Mr Femi Adeleye Daniel, a staff in the Porter Department of EKSUTH, was retired because of his involvement in the mobilisation of workers for a congress meeting held at the Teaching Hospital premises,” it said.

The workers expressed serious concern over rumours that more workers would soon go, and expressed shock that Gov Fayemi, who reinstated workers sacked by his predecessors, was replicating same evil.

They said that it was “imaginable” to issue sack letters as Christmas and New Year gifts to breadwinners, and described the situation as “killing”.(NAN).