Workers of the National Assembly on Tuesday protested over the alleged refusal of the management to pay them the Consolidated Legislative Salary Scale (CONLESS) approved by the Federal Government.
The workers issued a 21- day ultimatum to the management to pay up all the outstanding allowances owed them or they would embark on an industrial action.
The workers accused the management of diverting all the deductions made from staff salaries for pension, taxes and housing funds to private use.
They also alleged that the management had been defrauding the staff of N10,000 each in the guise of Owner Occupier Housing Scheme since 2009.
The workers, led by Mr Chris Odoh, marched round the National Assembly complex chanting solidarity songs and waving placards with various inscriptions.
Some of the placards read, “Pay us our CONLESS or we paralyse the legislature’’, “David Mark pay us our CONLESS’’ and “Pay us our CONLESS and stop our suffering today’’.
All attempts by Sen. Awesu Kuta and Sen. Adesola Adeyeye to address the workers were rebuffed as they insisted that they would only listen to the Senate president, chanting “we want SP, we want SP, we want SP.’’
Odoh urged the Senate President, Sen. David Mark, to direct the management to pay the approved CONLESS within 21 days beginning from Tuesday.
“We want the management to pay arrears of our outstanding welfare packages and other benefits within 21 days or face a historic industrial action that will totally paralyse legislative activities,’’ he said.
They demanded that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission be cautioned to refrain from meddling into the affairs of the workers of the legislative arm of government.
Other demands by the workers included that the management immediately remit deductions made from their salaries to various pension fund administrators, the Federal Inland Revenue Service and housing fund.
The workers also urged the Senate president to probe the activities of National Assembly management with a view to making them account for funds appropriated for staff salaries, training and other incentives.
Responding, Mark promised that the leadership of the National Assembly would do everything possible to ensure that the issues were resolved.
“If anybody oppresses the least of the workers here in the National Assembly, that person also oppresses me as the President of the Senate. I will never allow it happen.
“I received a copy of this letter this morning and I am going to discuss it with the speaker of the House of Representatives and we are going to get the management and also confront them on these points that you have raised here.
“Let me assure you that your welfare is being given topmost priority. I want to assure you that we will do everything possible to alleviate your problems.
“I want to appeal to you to go back to your offices and continue your work, trusting me that I will do what you want, ‘’ Mark promised.