Protest rocks Calabar as street sweepers demand 6 months unpaid salaries

By IKE UCHECHUKWU, Calabar

Again, street sweepers in Calabar are currently protesting unpaid six months salaries as they took to major roads to demand payment of their salaries.

Vanguard gathered that many of the women whose salaries ranges between 5,000 to 15,000 naira took to popular MCC road to protest non payment of their 6 months salaries .

The women numbering about 50 who barricaded the road with logs of woods, also poured waste on the road in protest while chanting solidarity songs and lamenting that they can no longer bear the pain .

Some of them who spoke with vanguard said it was unfortunate that the people in charge have turned deaf ears to thier plight even after so many appeals since June.

One of them simply identified as Mrs Iquo said many of them are really suffering over the meager salary as some get as low as 8,000 and are being owed for 6 months

She said:” It is not the best of jobs but we still do it with joy ,why are we still being owed for as much as 6 months especially at this time that things are very hard in the country.

” We know that the government is releasing money ,but we are not getting it , unless there is something they are not telling us , because we go through hell while doing our job ,many of us are being raped in the early hours especially where there are no street lights ,it is sad,” she said .

When contacted ,the Executive Secretary of Calabar Urban Development Agency , CUDA , Engr. Joe-Mary Ekeng referred our reporter to the mother ministry ( Ministry of Environment).

” I don’t have information for you on that kindly reach out to the Mother ministry to get accurate information about the development ,” Ekeng said.

When Vanguard contacted the Commissioner for Environment ,Hon Nfon Bassey he said he would call back on the matter .

But the call never came until the time of filing this report. (Vanguard)