The Guardian (Nigeria)

Clerk moves to avert National Assembly workers’ strike

- From John Akubo, Abuja

T Oavert the impending strike by National Assembly workers, the Clerk, Ojo Olatunde, has constitute­d a nine- man committee to look at the workers’ demands.

This was coming on the heels of a 21- day ultimatum from the Parliament­ary Staff Associatio­n of Nigeria ( PASAN), who threatened to embark on strike if their demands were not met.

Inaugurati­ng the committee, Olatunde assured the workers that the management would continue to prioritise workers’ welfare.

Special Adviser to the Clerk on Media and Labour Matters, Austen Adesoro, who issued a statement in Abuja to that effect, indicated that the panel, chaired by the Secretary, Human Resources and Staff Developmen­t, Felix Orunwese, was set up by management to attend to welfare issues raised by staff.

The statement quoted the Clerk as saying that the National Assembly’s management would do all within its powers to ensure that staff got their due on a proactive basis.

He stressed the need for dialogue as a panacea to the situation on the ground, instead of unnecessar­y agitations.

Olatunde said the management under his leadership, upon assumption of duty, had paid the staff leave bonus, legislativ­e duty allowance ( LDA) and end- ofyear bonus.

The management, he added, has concluded plans to provide staff buses to ease transporta­tion, especially in the face of the challenges posed by the Coronaviru­s Disease ( COVID- 19).

His words: “You will agree with me that this historic meeting is actually called to demonstrat­e our commitment and passionate desire to make your Condition of Service a continuous priority.

“I want to say it loud and clear that we shall never rest on our desire to make all staff of the National Assembly very important always, because of the high value management places on you. This proactive dimension we have tailored informed the inaugurati­on of the Committee on the Implementa­tion of the Condition of Service, which shall continuous­ly be used within the National Assembly under our watch.”

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