Rivers Local government workers to embark on strike over non-payment of 13 months salaries

Local Government workers across the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers state have issued a solidarity strike notice starting from Monday, September 21 over the non-payment of 13 months salaries owed more than 100 workers of Ahoada West Local Government Area.

The National Union of Local Government Employees said the union chose the strike option after negotiations with the LGA chairman, Hope Ikiriko ended in a stalemate.

Ikiriko had said the affected workers were ghost workers, saying they have no evidence they were employed by the council.

Clifford Paul, president of the union said all efforts to dialogue with the LGA leadership yielded no positive result for the affected workers.

According to him: “We have exhausted all channels of dialogues, we have written to the appropriate authorities informing them that we would embark on this strike if nothing was done within 14 days and the ultimatum we gave has elapsed.

“Rather, the Executive Chairman of Ahoada West, Hope Ikiriko is using diversionary tactics and we have agreed to embark on an indefinite strike on the 23 LGAs beginning from Monday, 21 September 2020.”