National Assembly workers barricade legislative chambers, protest unfair treatment

Workers at the National Assembly have staged a protest at the premises of the assembly complex in order to press home their demands.

The workers, under the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) in their hundreds, gathered at the lobby of the National Assembly demanding the management address some of their grievances.

Carrying placards with various inscriptions the workers threatened to scuttle the plenary sessions of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Members of the association had last week during their congress resolved to picket the premises of the federal legislature from today to Thursday on issues bordering on Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS).

They also demanded both Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara, in line with their statutory mandate, should take urgent steps to nominate members of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC).

They said all pending staff promotions and conversion letters should be released with arrears due fully paid, while the 2018 promotion eligibility list be released and promotion exams conducted on or before December 31 this year.

“After due deliberations on the above crucial issues, congress resolved that in view of management’s apparent continued disregard and unwillingness to address all the above listed issues, the union ‎in compliance with the laws of industrial dispute is hereby demanding the full implementation of the above listed grievances by management within the next two weeks from today.

“Failure to implement the above resolutions on the deadline, which is 13 December, 2018, the union will have no option than to embark on an indefinite strike action from the 14th December, 2018,” PASAN said.