BY Samuel Akpan
Legislative aides have staged a protest at the National Assembly complex to kick against the non-payment of their 20 months’ salary arrears.
The aides stormed the complex with placards on Tuesday, accusing Ojo Olatunde, clerk of the national assembly (CNA), of failure to pay the arrears dating back to 2019.
They also alleged that the national assembly management has failed to implement the consolidated legislative salary structure (CONLESS), minimum wage, duty tour allowances (DTA) and other conditions of service.
They had staged a similar protest in December 2019 after the 8th national assembly management failed to implement their demands
Addressing journalists, Zebis Prince, who spoke on behalf of the aides, said 2,500 aides are affected by the non-payment of the arrears.
He recalled that the house of representatives had investigated the issue after which it directed the national assembly clerk to clear the arrears.
“We are disturbed that despite an express legislative resolution mandating the CNA to ensure the payment of this long-overdue entitlement, three weeks after, the chief accounting officer of the national assembly has chosen to hold honourable members and by extension the whole institution to ransom,” he said.
“The continued refusal of the CNA to pay about 2,500 aides their 2019 salary arrears has created a sharp division between aides on one hand and the management on the other.
“We would like to use the opportunity to express our great displeasure at the miserable and inhumane working conditions of aides in the national assembly.
“The disdain, disregard and discriminate meted to aides need to be looked at. Some of these capricious acts include nonpayment of the duty tour allowance (DTA), lack of training, none implementation of national minimum wage and the consolidated legislative aides salary structure (CONLESS); benefits that are already being enjoyed by other workers in the federal establishment.”
Prince said the aides would employ all legal means to ensure that the arrears are paid.
“We are wondering why the money is being withheld by the CNA even after management had long admitted that the funds were available,” he added.
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