Ondo Govt Sacks 600 Palace Staff
No fewer than 600 local government workers attached to various classes of traditional rulers in the Ondo State have been relieved of their appointments by the state government.
It was learnt that the names of the affected workers were removed from the government remitter system of paying salaries.
The government action was discovered after the payment of the May salaries to workers in the state without paying the monarch’s workers that were being paid from the local council’s coffers.
Investigation revealed that the affected King’s palace workers were absorbed into councils’ and captured by remitter payment system during the administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
The development had been generating tension in various palaces as there were allegations that more workers would be sacked by the Akeredolu’s administration.
When contacted, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Ondo State Council, Mrs. Bosede Daramola, said the Congress would resist the action.
Daramola said the removal of the names of the affected workers by the government was contrary to the promise of the governor.
According to her, “This workers irrespective of who they were working directly with were employed properly and captured under the remitter system.
“It is unacceptable for government to sack them and expose them to previous system when the workers were being paid indiscriminately by the monarchs they were working directly under.”
While saying the congress would not accept a situation whereby some monarchs would collect money meant for the workers and pay them pittance, the NLC boss said,” since the workers are not slaves, the previous system where they are not entitled to retirement benefits is not acceptable .”
