The members of staff of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) on Wednesday said they would embark on an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of a new salary structure.
The workers under the auspices of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), had on Tuesday commenced a 3-days warning strike over their demands.
The workers vowed never to return to work until their demands were met.
The Secretary of the union, Mr. Udeme Umanah, who spoke on behalf of the union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the warning strike was for three days.
Umanah said that the workers decided to embark on the strike due to the failure of the FCT administration to implement the new salary structures for AEPB after the expiration of several ultimatums.
He said that if nothing was done after the three-day warning strike the union would embark on an indefinite strike.
The workers also barricaded the board`s headquarters and vowed never to return to work until their needs were met.
The workers carried placards with various inscriptions like: “Pay us our newly approved salary. It is our right, not a privilege, we are tired of promises’’.
Umanah said that the new salary structure had been approved since 2019 by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammed Bello, but was yet to be implemented by the management.
He said that the board was an autonomous agency established under its Acts of 1997, adding that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) wanted the board to be a department under the administration.
“The presidential committee approved the same salary structures as well as the National Salary and Income Wages Commission, which was forwarded to FCTA in 2021.
“They commence Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) from January 2020. The Health, Agriculture, Social Development Secretariat, and Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) earn different salary structures.
“So, the union gave the administration 21- day notice to implement the salary structure, nothing happen, we gave them another seven days, and then finally, we gave them the last three days' notice.
“Nothing also was done. So, it was after the expiration of the three days notice that the minister called us for a meeting and agreed to implement the salary structures.
“The minister then pleaded that we should not embark on strike, that we should give the administration two weeks to sort everything out,’’ he said.
Umanah said that the two weeks notice agreed upon at the meeting with the minister has ended and the administration had refused to implement the salary structure.
“We decided to go for the three-day warning strike, which will be ending on Aug. 18, we are still waiting for them to commence the implementation.
“So, after Aug. 18,.and nothing happened we will now proceed on an indefinite strike’’ he said.
