Ekiti sweepers demand minimum wage

Kweepers employed by the Ekiti State Waste
Management Agency (EKWMA) are demanding
N18,000 minimum wage.
They presently receive N10,000 monthly.
The about 300 women sweepers said the
agency seemed opposed to their demand and
urged Governor Kayode Fayemi to intervene.
One of them, who pleaded for anonymity, said
their monthly pay was too small, given the
rising cost of living.
She said: "We are coming from our office at
Fajuyi, where they said we cannot meet with
the governor. We want to meet and thank him
for what he has been doing in the state and
for employing us. We urge him to increase our
salary. We are supposed to be on Grade Level
1."
On whether they would go on strike to press
home their demands, she said they had no
such plans, adding that "if we were allowed to
see him (the governor), he would have done
something for us".
EKWMA Chairman Adebayo Morakinyo said the
sweepers could not be considered for
minimum wage because they are not civil
servants.
Morakinyo said: "I did not expect them to act
the way they did. These are women who work
for only five hours daily between 6:30 and
11:30am. What we pay in Ekiti is about the
highest. Lagos pays N10,000 as we do. They
used to receive N6,500, which was increased
to N8,500 when Fayemi assumed office. It was
increased to N10,000 in November, 2011.
"To be honest, some of them come to Ado-Ekiti
from other towns and spend money on
transportation. That was why I promised to
take their case to the governor when I met
with them last week.
"But some of them do not work at all. They
stay at home and send their children to do
their work, even though we did not employ
their children. The N10,000 is besides the free
medical care we give them."