Striking workers in Ekiti State have told Governor Ayodele Fayose to pay them their salaries rather than engage in a solidarity strike with them.
Fayose had last Friday declared that he had placed himself on an indefinite strike in solidarity with the workers who had been on strike for about two weeks over non-payment of five months outstanding salaries.
“What we want is our money to alleviate our poverty,” the chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Odunayo Adesoye declared.
“We appreciate the governor for sharing our pains and anguish. But the workers will appreciate and commend him the more if he can pay at least two or three months salaries out of five months owed.
“Our situation has gone beyond the governor declaring mere solidarity strike. We need more of actions now than talks because our situation is gradually becoming hopeless.
“Some of us have the intention of going to work, but no money to pay for transport fare. Some of us could not take two square meal a day. Some could not cook soup with ordinary fish, so our situation has gone beyond what anyone could trivialize.
“We are hearing that the federal government want to give grants to states, so if Mr Governor could pay three months now, it will be easy to use the grant to pay the remaining two months and still help in paying for the subsequent months.
“We appeal to the workers to be law abiding. We want them to be civil, even in the face of provocation. By the grace of God, we shall all rejoice in the end.”