Kwara Water Staff Storms Ministry Of Water Resources To Demand For Their Entitlements

...Demands for immediate remittance of their outstanding salary deductions

Aggrieved workers of the Kwara State Water Corporation on Thursday 9th May, 2019 staged a peaceful picketing against the management of the Corporation and Kwara State Ministry of Water Resources in Ilorin over non-remittance of their 37.8 million naira Corporative deductions to the cooperative societies and 55 months’ deductions from their monthly salaries which was due for Federal Mortgage Bank as National Housing Fund deductions.

The workers under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations (AUPCTRE) alleged that a deduction totalling N43.4m made up of N37.8m for cooperative unions and outstanding National Housing Fund deduction amounting to N5.6m for a period of 55 months (between June 2013 and December 2017) were not remitted to the appropriate quarters by the management of the Corporation under the leadership of Mr. Yahaya Tunde Omoniyi as the General Manager.

Speaking during the peaceful picketing within the premises of Ministry of Water Resources in Ilorin on Thursday, the Chairman, ASCSN, Kwara State Water Corporation Unit, Comrade Ahmed Kazeem, accused the management of the Corporation of stagnating the aggrieved members of staff for nine (9) years without promotion.

Kazeem added that the management had refused to effect the financial backing of the letters of promotion it handed over to workers in December 2018 till date.

He said non-remittance of the deductions for the National Housing Fund made it impossible for the workers to access federal housing loan from the Federal Mortgage Bank.

The Union Chairman alleged that the management of the Water Corporation had mortgaged the future of the workers with the crime it committed against them.

Also speaking, the Chairperson for Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Kwara State Chapter, Comrade Mrs. Funmi Olanrewaju, noted that members of the union had endured the suffering without solution from the management.

Mrs Olanrewaju said nonpayment of the deducted cooperative money had put the workers in shame as many of them, who depend on it, have had to withdraw their children from schools when they could not meet their financial obligations.

She added that the State Government is still owing the Staff of the Corporation March 2019 and April 2019 salaries.

Other entitlements the staff of the Corporation are demanding for includes:

(1.) Promotion Financial Benefits from January 2019 to date.

(2.) Cooperative Deductions of N37,889,321.00.

(3.) 55months National Housing Funds Deductions of N5,600,000.00.

(4.) October 2015 Salary of 89staff of the Corporation of N2,148,910.00.

(5.) Outstanding Salary Increment Arrears of N1,890,000.00.

(6.) Outstanding Salary Step Increment of N366,523.50.

(7.) Outstanding Mosque Deductions of N170,900.00.

(8.) Outstanding Annual Leave Bonus

(9.) Outstanding Union Dues Deductions of N1,800,000.00

(10.) Outstanding August 2015 Salary of 7staff of N128,000.00

The Union leaders insisted the gates of the 96 waterworks and the Corporation headquarters will remain closed until the outstanding issues affecting the welfare of the staff of the Corporation are resolved.

The aggrieved workers completely down-tooled and shut the main gate to the premises of the Corporation’s headquarters in Ilorin.