Activities at the Etsako West Local Government Council were grounded on Thursday as workers locked the council gate in protest over unpaid salary arrears.
The action prevented the council chairman, Valentine Okwillagwe, from exiting the premises during the demonstration.
It was gathered that the workers remained at the gate throughout the protest, insisting on the payment of their outstanding salaries.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Okwillagwe said the arrears being demanded predated his administration, stressing that the government of Senator Monday Okpebholo had prioritised prompt salary payment.
He described the protest as politically motivated.
He said, “What is happening is politically-motivated. We are not owing any salary and, as you know, the government of Senator Monday Okpebholo has made payments of salary a top priority.
“The latest we have paid salaries in the local government secretariat is on the 24th of every month. This month, their salaries will be paid on the 16th.
“What they are asking for are arrears owed them by previous administrations. I have paid them arrears for 2020. These salaries were owed in 2011, 2012 and 2017.
“When I assumed office, the salary arrears we met were 2017, 2020, 2014, and they said they have deductions for 2019.
“We have had chairmen before I came on board, the same NULGE chairman and workers were there; they didn’t lock the gate, they never protested, so why now?”
Efforts to reach the NULGE chairman, Amend Favour, were unsuccessful as his phone was switched off.
However, one of the protesting workers, who asked not to be named, said the demand had no political undertone, insisting that workers were entitled to request their outstanding wages at any time.
The worker said, “We are not saying that the salary arrears are being owed by the present leadership of the council. However, we can decide to ask for it anytime we deem it fit.
“There is no political motivation behind this demand. All we want is the arrears, which can do the workers a lot of good at this time.”
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