Street Sweepers Protest Over 4 Months’ Unpaid Salary In Ondo

Some street sweepers in Akure, Ondo State, have taken to the streets to protest the four-month nonpayment of their wages.

The demonstrators, including some widows, gathered at the Ministry of Environment to express their dissatisfaction with the treatment they received from the administration of ZL Global Alliances, a private firm in charge of trash collection and recycling in the state.

The street sweepers said that despite their hard work sweeping the streets, highways, and markets, they had not gotten their N10,000 monthly compensation.

They threatened to go on strike if they were not paid on time.

Oluwaseun Ogunniyi, one of the demonstrators, stated that all impacted individuals were former Ondo State Waste Management Board employees who had been employed by the ZL Global Alliance since 2019.

“There is no promotion, and we are now being paid N10,000 from the N20,000 we used to collect under the state government. They just started paying us N15,000.

“We close as late as 5pm. I use N1000 per day to and from work and I am a widow. We always complain, but they don’t answer us.

Bimbo Adekunle, an old woman in her late 60s, claimed that they are constantly on duty as early as 4:30 a.m. to sweep their portion. She said that it was exhausting not to be paid on time.

Reacting, the Deputy Managing Director of ZL Global Alliance, Tobi Benjamin, said, “We understand the political situation in Ondo State and how some desperate elements struggle to hold on to whatever to score cheap political points.

“However, they should know that we are reputable business concerns and not given to such frivolities. They should therefore stop the attempts at using some of our workers to play their politics.”