In Akwa Ibom, Striking Workers Invade House Of Assembly

by Zenith Oduah

Striking workers in Akwa Ibom have blocked the entrance to the State House of Assembly following a disagreement with the state government regarding salaries.

The workers embarked on a three-day warning strike in Uyo, the state capital, on Thursday, April 23, 2015.

The trouble was said to have started after the government refused to honour an agreement it had reached with the workers’ union on the payment of salaries according to the new consolidated structure.

The state employees, numbering more than 100, brandished various obejcts and prevented visitors from gaining access to the complex.

The State Chairman of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, Kufre-Abasi Aderi told journalists that the union workers had decided to embark on the strike following the failure of the government to abide by the 21-day ultimatum it was given.

“Consequent upon this, the entire staff of the state House of Assembly, after due consultation, unanimously declared a three-day warning strike from yesterday,” Aderi said.

He said further that the workers would go on an indefinite strike if the government refused to meet their demands after the warning.