Streets Sweepers Protest Unpaid Stipend

Women employed as street sweepers in Akure, the Ondo state capital, have protested the non-payment of their stipends for four months.

The women, among whom are widows, took their protest to the Ministry of Environment, where they expressed their grievances and threatened to down tool work if their stipends were not paid by ZL Global Alliance, who is their employer.

Armed with brooms, the protesters dressed in their green jackets, lamented over the “shabby” treatment being melted on them by the management of the ZL Global Alliances, the company in charge of waste management and recycling in the state.

Addressing reporters, the leader of the protesters, Oluwaseun Ogunniyi, said they were former staff at the Ondo State Waste Management which was contracted by the ZL Global Alliance in 2019.

Ms Ogunniyi explained that the angry protesters were the ones sweeping the streets, highway roads, and markets and still been owed the stipend of N10,000 for four months.

Her words “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 5 pm. I use N1000 per day to and from work and I am a widow. We always complain but they don’t answer us. The GM doesn’t stay in the office but has representatives to speak with us since August.

“So, Let them return us where we came from. If they don’t pay us, then we won’t work again.”

Another elderly woman, Bimbo Adekunle revealed that they are always at their duty post as early as 4:30 am to sweep their portion, stressing that it was tiring not being paid as when due.

Adekunle, said that it was always a long stretch before daybreak while working, noting that they were being owed backlogs of salaries by the waste management company despite working hard under harsh economic conditions in the state.

She lamented the danger associated with the job, noting that it was strenuous sweeping on the highway road without adequate protection.

She said “Since the time of the former Governors, Olusegun Mimiko and Olusegun Agagu, we have done this job and even received awards for it.

“But Since 2019 when ZL Global Alliance has taken over the waste management system in the state, they have not been paying our money very well.

“The General Manager always gives the excuse that the government has not paid. Our money for last year’s December, he has not paid, even for Oct, July, and Nov this year, he has not paid.

“Please we appeal to ZL, General Chairman, Ondo State Waste Management, and the Commissioner, Chief Imam and the Oba of Akure, let them pay us, our stipend.”

According to her, since ZL Global Alliance took over the management and recycling of waste in the state, the streets have always been filthy.

She added “Let them return us under the state so that the state can be the one to pay us. We don’t have any bonus or anything.”

In her reaction, the Managing Director of ZL Global, Mrs Biola Bashorun said the stipends would soon be paid saying it was those whose accounts had issues that were having issues with payment.

She said: “I have had meetings with them but the issue is that some of them had issues with their account and more reason they are not getting paid. So, by next week they should start receiving their alert. Moreover, we are only owing them the salary of last month, which is November.”