Legislative workers to shut down National, State Assemblies
Employees in all 36 state legislatures and the national assembly say they are ready to lock down their offices if their demands for fiscal independence for the legislature are not met.
According to Daily Trust, the workers, organised under the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), want state governors to immediately begin implementing budgetary autonomy for state assembly in accordance with the 1999 Constitution.
In order to get their point out, parliamentary staff had taken to the streets on multiple occasions.
Our correspondent was able to collect copies of letters sent by the workers explaining why they had given a 21-day strike warning to the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, the Chairman of the Forum of Speakers, and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The letters, issued by PASAN’s acting secretary general, Agugbue Ugochi Happiness, contended that the governors’ refusal to implement the financial autonomy as provided for in the constitution made it necessary for PASAN to shut down legislative institutions of government.
Yesterday, after handing in the papers, Happiness informed reporters that the union had issued the ultimatum on September 18, 2023, and that the governors had disregarded it until it had run its course.
The leadership of our great union has further extended the ultimatum by one week, so we’re writing to say, “We refer to our letters dated 18th September, 2023 and 7th of October, 2023 on 21 days ultimatum to embark on industrial action if financial autonomy is not implemented in the State Houses of Assembly nationwide by Wednesday, October 18th, 2023.
Therefore, we are hoping that this extension would provide us more time to negotiate with the union and avoid a strike.
If the union’s requests aren’t met, the letter says, “we hereby reiterate the union’s preparedness to direct the members to embark on the proposed strike action.”
