N’assembly workers declare strike ahead budget presentation

The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) says it will embark on a four-day warning strike beginning from Monday.

Bature Mohammed, chairman of the association, said the decision to embark on the strike was taken at an emergency congress held on Friday.

The strike would commence two days to the presentation of the 2019 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a letter to the national assembly last week, the president requested to lay the budget on Wednesday.

The action of the workers is not expected to affect the presentation because some staff are denied access to parliament during budget presentation.

On December 4, the workers shut down activities at the national assembly, preventing lawmakers from sitting.

The strike was suspended after Senate President Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, intervened.

They directed Mohammed Sani-Omolori, clerk of the assembly, to ensure that the workers demands were met.

“The leadership of the national assembly made it clear to the staff that the issues raised by them were previously unknown to the legislators and that even if they were known to the senate president and the speaker, the leadership could do little to address them because they fall under the purview of the NASS’s management,” Yusuph Olaniyonu, had said in a statement.

The staff are demanding to be paid outstanding salaries and allowances. The workers also want to be put on the consolidated legislative salary structure (CONLESS).

Mohammed said the warning strike is in a bid to press home the demands of the association.

He directed all members of the association to stay away from their duty posts during the period.