Edo state ‘Comrade Bus’ workers protest, workers stranded
...their claims baseless, says MD, ECTS
By Victor Ofure Osehobo, Benin City
Managing Director of the state-owned Edo City Transport, ECTS, Mrs. Edugie Agbonlahor, on Monday said the crisis in the company had nothing to do with the non-payment of workers salaries for the second month.
Commuters, were stranded for hours on Monday in Benin City, following the non availability of the Edo City Transport Service, (ECTS), operators of ‘Comrade Buses’, as staff took control of the company’s buses and drove off to the Governor’s office to protest what they tagged unfair treatment meted on them by its management.
“Our contributions for pension retirement, she has been deducting it since 2017 but she refused to remit it to the body that is incharge and she is owing us over N360m. She should come and pay us.
“We are calling on the EFCC chairman, we are calling on the governor, we are calling on the Edo State Commissioner of Police to get her arrested. Why must she not remit our money to the body? She wants to kill us, she wants to kill our career”, he said.
Braimah also accused the MD of casualization of staff, non promotion of staff as and when due, and owing of workers salary for two months.
“We are demanding for our November and December salary and we know that the state government normally pay the state civil servants November salary every on 22 to 24 every month, that is when its being paid but up till now, we have not received November salary, she refused to pay us November’s salary.
“She also refused to implement our minimum wage. Since January 24, to be precise, that is when Edo State started paying civil servants their minimum wage.
“From January till now, how many months is that? That is 12 months. We want the state government to pay us our arrears, to implement our minimum wage, to put an end to casualization of staff, we want them to be staffed, we want the staff to be promoted because since 2015 till now, she refused to promote workers”, he alleged.
He also alleged that the MD of the company collects bogus furniture allowance every three months.
“So, we are tired of the woman, the woman must go. Every three months she is collecting N500,000 as furniture allowance and in a year, that is N2m”, he said.
