BEVERLY HILLS, June 04, (THEWILL) – Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state on Saturday embarked on an indefinite strike in solidarity with civil servants in the state who have been on an industrial action since the last 12 days.
Disclosing this in a televised broadcast on stations based in Ekiti State, the Governor predicated his action on the need to identify with workers in the state civil service, who have not received salaries in the last five months.
In the broadcast, Fayose however stated that he had paid the January salary of local government workers, primary school teachers and subventions to tertiary institutions in the state.
The Governor, who maintained that he shared the pains and anguish caused by delayed salary of workers, asserted that what he has been declaring as amount accruing to the State as internally generated revenue and the N2.6 billion workers’ wage bill were true of the financial state of Ekiti.
According to him, “I want to tell workers that I have placed myself on indefinite strike in solidarity with you. I shared your pains , but it was rather unfortunate that a man can’t give what he doesn’t have.
“I have told you the true position of the finances of the state, of which you had played critical roles in allocation of federal allocations to relevant sectors which shows how well I had carried you along since the dwindling revenue to the state commenced.
“During my first term, I mean, 2003 to 2006, I used to pay salary of workers by 21st of every month. But the present situation is very unfortunate and we have to learn how to live with it until the country wriggle out of it and things will change for better.
“I want to say that I will be expecting you back to your offices when you are ready to return to work. I shall be expecting you, because presently I am handicapped and there is nothing I can do.
“But before then, I have placed myself on indefinite strike in solidarity with your course. But I appeal that you put the interest of the state above everything , because the present position affects everybody.”
It would be recalled that the state workers, under the auspices of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, and Joint Negotiation Council, JNC, had last week Wednesday called out workers for an indefinite strike.
