SAN FRANCISCO, January 09, (THEWILL) – Normal activities were paralysed, on Monday, at the head office of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), in Warri, by the commission’s employees who were on a protest to the extent of stripping naked.
The protesting employees expressed their anger against the management of the commission over the non-payment of statutory end of year bonus, unpaid accumulated entitlements and failure of the commission to promote employees that had been due for promotion.
THEWILL gathered that the access into the commission’s premises was barricaded, ensuring that all activities were effectively paralysed and that all offices were shut before dispersing.
“13th month salary is embedded in our conditions of service,” they chanted.
“If the same board paid it last year why should they now insinuate that it does not exist and it is some sort of favour they can refuse at will?
“Beyond the end of year bonus, staff are not being promoted, we don’t know where our pension is going. Retired staff have not been paid till today.
“They are running helter-skelter, some have died struggling. It’s a crisis situation and the strike will get tougher by the day till the issues are resolved.”
Reacting to the development, Managing Director of the Commission, Williams Makinde, acknowledged the non-payment of the End of Year Bonus but insisted that the protest was a diversionary attempt to intimidate management from dealing with the over staffing at the commission.
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