Ondo street sweepers demand payment for 4 months’ unpaid salaries

Sanitation employees of the Ondo State Waste Management Agency demonstrated over not getting paid on Monday in the state capital of Akure.

The employees, who are in charge of sweeping the streets and roadways in the city, assert that they are due four months’ salary.

Elderly women and widows among the sweepers gathered at the Ministry of Environment’s offices to seek remuneration

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They said that the organisation in charge of paying their salaries was being inconsiderate.

They also blasted ZL Global Alliances, the state’s private company in charge of recycling and waste management, for their issues.

Oluwaseun Ogunniyi, who spoke on behalf of the demonstrators, stated that they were former employees of the Ondo State Waste Management Agency, which was taken over by the ZL Global Alliance in 2019.

Even though the workers regularly sweep the streets, roads, and markets, according to Mrs. Ogunniyi, they are still not paid their N10,000 four-month stipend.

“We are now paid N10,000 instead of the N20,000 we used to receive under the state government, and there is no promotion.” They recently began giving us N15,000,” the woman stated.

The latest we close is at 5 p.m. I am a widow who uses N1000 a day to travel to and from work. Every time we complain, they ignore us. Although the GM doesn’t work in the office, since August, reps have been in contact with us.

Let them take us back to our original location. We won’t work again if they don’t pay us.

Bimbo Adekunle, an additional elderly woman, stated that despite the risks involved with their profession, they report for duty as early as 4:30 a.m. and do not have proper protection.

We have carried out this task and been honoured for it ever since Olusegun Mimiko and Olusegun Agagu, the previous governors, left office.

“However, they have not been paying our money very well since ZL Global Alliance took over the waste management system in the state in 2019,” Mrs. Adekunle claimed.

“The General Manager consistently cites nonpayment by the government as an explanation. Even for October, July, and November of this year, he has not paid us the money from December of last year.

“Please allow them to give us our stipend. We are pleading with ZL, General Chairman of Ondo State Waste Management, as well as the Commissioner, Chief Imam, and Oba of Akure.

“Let them put us back under state jurisdiction so that it would be the one to compensate us. There are no bonuses or any benefits for us.

Tobi Benjamin, the deputy managing director of ZL Global Alliance, refuted the claim that the employees were owed four months’ wages in a statement released on Monday. The corporation, he claimed, owed one month’s salary.

According to Mr. Benjamin, “the protest leaders’ claims that we owe them four months’ salary are untrue; the only month we haven’t been able to pay them is because of some logistical issues that have already been resolved and they have all been informed that they will receive the payment next week.”

Therefore, it defies logic that some people would argue they are due four months’ worth of pay.

It should be mentioned that although these workers put in a maximum of three hours a day, their pay is determined by their wages rather than their salaries. Despite their assertions, we have likewise dedicated ourselves to their well-being. Along with other bonuses and advantages, they are eligible for free medical care for themselves, their families, and up to four children each.

“We asked them to exercise patience while we address the issues preventing their payment during our town hall meeting with them last Wednesday. Since a large number of our sweepers were still employed today, we are going through our records to find the identities of these alleged demonstrators. Thus, we are curious about the protestors’ origins.