Sweepers employed by Dafunol International Limited, a contractor engaged by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), on Monday staged a peaceful protest over the non-payment of their five months’ salaries.

The sweepers who were in their sweeping kits and holding brooms spoke to the Newsmen in front of Motorways Premises near 7-Up, Ikeja.


Sweepers protesting non payment of their five months’ salary (NAN photo)
They also carried placards with inscriptions appealing to the management of LAMATA to pay them their salaries.

They said that they were employed by the contractor who is into LAMATA Shelter Maintenance to be sweeping LAMATA-constructed bus shelters along Mile 12-Ketu –Ikorodu Road –Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) axis.

They said that they had not been paid since March, 2017.

Some of the inscriptions read: “LAMATA , pay us our salaries ever since the month of February,’’ “LAMATA, why are you denying us our money, you are punishing us.’’

Mrs Musiliu Akindele (70) one of the sweepers told NAN that their employer was initially paying each sweeper N10,000 per month before it was increased to N15,0000.

“We were only paid for January and February, 2017. Our employer owes each of us five months’ salary arrears.

“Most of our children had been sent out of their schools over unpaid fees,’’ she said.

Akindele said that before now, their employer used to supply them brooms to work with.

But now, we are responsible for them. With the non-payment of our salaries; we cannot afford them and this is affecting our service, she said.

“Each broom costs N200 and now that the salary is not paid, we have no means to buy them to work, ’’ she said.

Another sweeper, Mrs Morufat Egunjobi, who covers the

LAMATA bus-stop shelters around Ketu, a Lagos suburb told NAN that they usually work between 6a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Sundays.

“We do not have duty off and no motivations from our employer. Yet, our employer owes us five months of unpaid salary arrears.

“Some of us who could not cope with the harsh situation had stopped working, the rest of us are doing it on empty promises that we will be paid one day.

“We are indebted to food sellers and they had refused to sell to us on credit anymore,’’ Egunjobi said.

Also, Mrs Mero Raifu, another sweeper said that she had cultivated the habit of trekking from Ijora-Badia to Costain where she was assigned LAMATA bus-stop shelters to be sweeping.

“I have been ejected from my rented apartment by my landlord because of my inability to pay my monthly rent.

“I now sleep inside a mosque.’’

Mrs Mojisola Adejuwon said that the sweepers had two meetings with their supervisors early in the year where they highlighted their plights and there was an assurance from the supervisors that they would pay them.

“We have to resort to this peaceful protest today because our supervisors seemed to have reneged on their promises.’’

Mr Abiodun Omaike said that he had been taking care of his family from borrowing from his neighbours.

“I live around Moshalashi-Idioro on Lagos Mainland while I am assigned to be sweeping four bus-stop shelters around Fadeyi and Onipanu every day.

“Instead of sweeping one bus-stop shelter, each sweeper is assigned to sweep between three and four on daily basis and we do not complain.

“Despite this multi-tasking, we are still being owed salaries by our employer.

“We are pleading with our employer: LAMATA and Dafunol International Limited, its contractor to pay us our standing salaries.

“Through that, we will have money to take care of ourselves and be able to work efficiently,’’ Omaike said.



Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/sweepers-cry-lamata-5-months-unpaid-salaries/

Wickedness.

They should ask Tinubu what Ambode did with their money.

Nawah o

This is too bad.. haba!

www.nairaland.com/attachments/3807356_img20160529wa0005_jpeg5853ab4017e2fc1dfaeb61cf36c904c0

Heart of men are just full of evil. This women are exposed to so many dangers because of the nature of their job yet somone somewhere is eating fat from their salaries. God have mercy on us

things are not going so well in this country..am just tired. person WL just drink sniper n die.a painful death.am feeling depress right now..

Even in Lagos? Haba! Wickedness.

This Is bad publicity for Lagos State. Five months is a long time.

Contract sweeper ke?!

What exactly is now the work of the government since almost every section this country is in the hands of private individuals/companies in the name of "contractor"?

This Nigeria tire me sef. The government lends out its responsibilities to "contractors" to save cost. Noone monitors the contractors. The contractors in turn maltreat the citizens. Its a sad tale

Check it, it happens in every sector of this goddamn country! Contract bankers, contract drivers, contract sweepers etc. Someone works for many months and you don't pay them. How will they cater for their families? How do you even sleep in peace? Why won't crime rate be on the increase? When will all these rubbish end?

As a contract staff, you don't enjoy the priviledges of a full staff (medicals, pensions, allowances). And these are the expenses the government runs away from leaving citizens in the hands of human wolves.

Horrible / irresponsible government since 1960

There's recession, things are bad, Prices of so many commodities have skyrocketed, salary remains the same and chose to held by some wicked individuals who found themselves at the top while those they've been appointed to serve suffer!
I weep for the low salary earners and those who the government still owe months of Unpaid salaries! It shall be better one Day in this country, I know this!

15000 is what they can't pay out of what those Blue buses generate everyday? So pathetic.

So bad it's coming from a state like Lagos.....thus should be look into ASAP

This is pure wickedness, after risking your life cleaning busy roads somebody pocket your salary.
God save us

Can you imagine the risk these sweepers are exposed to daily on the highway?

Yet they are denied the pittiance salary they pay them?

Where is compassion for chrissake?

Sadly, these thieves spend millions on their oloshos and pimps..

Awon ika

Contract workers i believe

That's not good enough with all the hazard associated with that job.

Hmm and the result is below


https://www.nairaland.com/3886809/what-happening-lagos...refuse-everywhere

Which kind country be this self

Owing street sweeper 5 month salary

Anyone holding this people salary should be force to drink tea mixed with sniper.

A won eleribu Dede.

raphy:
things are not going so well in this country..am just tired. person WL just drink sniper n die.a painful death.am feeling depress right now..

No go drink sniper ooo

Better move to Cotonou where no one knows you and start a new life.

Yahoo ti take over

"The sweat of a labourer should not dry b4 his/her entitlements are paid", but our leaders don't know these things, and they expect to prosper? How on earth can you owe som1 you are paying #15k/month, doing this dangerous job on the highway all in the act of keeping our streets clean. So so disappointed. I just hope does concerned will come to their senses ASAP.

Govt na wa. Pay dese piple na

In Ekiti state here NASU Staffs are being owned 8 months salary arrears yet unpaid. We were supposed to write our final exam yesterday Monday 7th August now it has been postponed until further notice.

Imagine. This is wickedness of the highest order.

Imagine, they find it hard to pay those who do the dirty job in the state while their oba is cruising one of the most expensive cars in the world for doing nothing.

They are not staff of Lagos State government. Normally sweeping streets should be under the ambit of Local Councils not states. However this seems to be a State Government contract but still they are not government employees. Lagos state does not owe its workers
The state Government should intervene on humanitarian grounds and ask the contractor to pay them.One wonders whether the contractor has been paid and if so wwhy are they withholding salaries.

Very unfortunate that people who are risking their lives daily, working hard to keep our environment clean are not being paid. And the salary is too small for the risk they are taking every day. Very unfair.
At the same time, some lazy buffoons who are not adding any value to our lives are feeding fat on the commonwealth.
Nigeria is really a zoo. Animal farm. Big shame.

5months is too much na, Ambode do something.