Street sweepers protest over four months’ unpaid salary in Ondo

Some women employed as street sweepers in Akure, in Ondo State, have taken to the streets to protest the non-payment of their stipends for the past four months.

The protesters, some of whom are widows, gathered at the Ministry of Environment to express their grievances and issued a warning that they would go on strike if their payments were not promptly made.

Decked in their distinctive green jackets, the women voiced their frustration at the treatment they received from the management of ZL Global Alliances, a private company responsible for waste management and recycling in the state.

They claimed that despite their hard work sweeping the streets, highways, and markets, they have not received their monthly stipend of N10,000.

According to one of the leaders of the protestors, Oluwaseun Ogunniyi, who lamented the predicament of the workers, all affected persons were former staff of the Ondo State Waste Management Board, who were contracted 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 elderly woman in her late 60s, revealed that they are always at their duty post as early as 4:30am to sweep their portion, stressing that it was tiring not being paid as when due.

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.”