Street sweepers in Akure, Ondo State, have embarked on a protest due to the non-payment of their salaries for the last four months.
The demonstrators, including widows, assembled at the Ministry of Environment to voice their dissatisfaction with the treatment received from ZL Global Alliances, a private company overseeing waste management and recycling in the state.
They claimed that despite their hard work sweeping the streets, highways, and markets, they have not received their monthly stipend of N10,000.
They warned that they would go on strike if they were not promptly paid.
One of the protesters, named Oluwaseun Ogunniyi, said that all affected persons were former staff of the Ondo State Waste Management Board who were contracted by the ZL Global Alliance since 2019.
“There is no promotion, and we are now being paid N10,000 from the N20,000 we used to collect under the state government. They just started paying us N15,000.
“We close as late as 5pm. I use N1000 per day to and from work and I am a widow. We always complain, but they don’t answer us.
Bimbo Adekunle, an elderly woman in her late 60s, revealed that they are always at their duty posts as early as 4:30am to sweep their portion. She added that it was tiring not being paid when due.
Reacting, the Deputy Managing Director of ZL Global Alliance, Tobi Benjamin, said, “We understand the political situation in Ondo State and how some desperate elements struggle to hold on to whatever to score cheap political points.
“However, they should know that we are reputable business concerns and not given to such frivolities. They should therefore stop the attempts at using some of our workers to play their politics.”
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