The Delta State House of Assembly has been plunged into a state of deadlock as staff members, under the banner of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), have initiated an indefinite strike.
The strike, which commenced at midnight on Wednesday, was marked by the locking of the Assembly’s entrance gate and that of the Speaker, effectively halting all official activities.
According to SaharaReporters, the strike stems from various grievances, including the lack of funding for the Assembly clinic and unresolved issues concerning staff welfare. Among the key concerns are the non-approval and payment of the Staff Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS) persisting for nearly three years, as well as the failure to regularize casual staff, provide staff training, and address other entitlements.
In a communique issued after a meeting held at the Assembly complex on Tuesday, PASAN members expressed deep dissatisfaction with the delay in fulfilling their dues, characterizing it as a deliberate tactic to withhold their entitlements. They criticized both the Assembly leadership and the government, accusing them of lacking the necessary political will to address the staff’s grievances.
The communique, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, and signed by PASAN’s state chairman, Emmanuel Edozie, and secretary, Emmanuel Osubor, was copied to various stakeholders, including the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, and the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Delta State.
Recalling a previous suspension of a strike scheduled for February 28, 2024, the communique highlighted the failure of promised interventions to materialize, including efforts by the Conference of Speakers and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. Despite a two-week appeal period granted by the Speaker for a committee, set up by the Governor, to address the payment of CONLESS, no substantial progress has been made, prompting PASAN to resume their suspended industrial action indefinitely as of midnight on May 29, 2024.
The communique emphasized that the strike would only be suspended upon the approval and subsequent payment of CONLESS to staff and the resolution of other outstanding issues outlined in their grievances.