*** Call for revocation of Geemony Global Cleaners Limited contract
By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
Lokoja street sweepers employed by Geemony Global Cleaners Limited, a contractor engaged by the Kogi State Ministry of Environment and Waste Management (KSMEWM), on Friday morning staged a peaceful protest over the non-payment of their salaries for four months and poor working conditions.
The sweepers who were in their sweeping kits and holding brooms spoke with news correspondents long Government House.
They also carried placards with inscriptions calling on the management of KSMEWM to revoke the contract of Geemony Global Cleaners limit and replace with a competent and reliable company.
They said that they were employed by Geemony Global Cleaners to be sweeping Lokoja streets and highways, lamenting that they had not been paid since March.
One of the sweepers, Talatu Ibrahim, said since they were employed in February they were only paid one month salary.
She said a street sweeper received N25,000 monthly which was not even paid regularly.
“We want governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to come to our aid,” she said, adding, “Our children are suffering at home. No money to buy food for them.”
Speaking on behalf the protesters, (off camera), Madam Zainab Yakubu said some of the KSMEWM contractors who are loyalists and privileged members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) get these juicy contracts that entail employing Kogites (mostly women) under slavery conditions.
“They pay a fraction of the contract fee to workers and keep the rest as profits.
“KSMEWM contractor like Geemony Global Cleaners limit fed fat from public funds through the exploitation of the street sweepers.
“We were told that the state government pays the contractor reqularly. But because of his wickedness he refused to pay us.
“The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) demands an end to contract employment and all Lokoja street sweepers should be employed directly by KSMEWM and to be paid on the basis of the National Minimum Wage and condition of service as other public sector workers in Kogi State. We also demand the respect of the right of the workers to be unionized in accordance with the labour law and provisions of International Labour Organisation (ILO). We challenge the Kogi State Council of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to set in motion the process to organize and unionize all Kogi State street sweepers in order to ensure better protection of their rights as workers,” Yakubu stressed.
Efforts by this reporter to get the reaction of the CEO of Geemony Global Cleaners Limited, Alhaji Badamasuiy Abdulganiyu failed as his mobile phone was switched off.
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