Kwara Express workers Protest over alleged privatization
The workers of Kwara State Transport Corporation, popularly known as Kwara Express on Thursday protested over alleged move to privatize the corporation.
They marched to the premises of Harmony Holdings Limited, the government-owned investment entity supervising the corporation.
Specifically, the protesters under the umbrella of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Service Employees (AUPTCRECI), Kwara Express chapter, were against the move by the state House of Assembly to repeal the edict establishing the Corporation which would turn it to a private entity.
The Workers who were in their official uniform protested to the office of Harmony Holdings along Ibrahim Taiwo road Ilorin.
They were singing solidarity songs condemning the decision of the state government to repeal the act establishing the Corporation.
Chairman of the Workers Union, Alhaji Ajao Jaji who led the workers said they embarked on the peaceful protest to condemn the repeal of the act that established the Corporation.
He recalled that the workers had embarked on similar protest to the state House of assembly in September 2014.
He said they wish to remain in the mainstream civil service and condemned move to repeal the Act establishing the Corporation which would turn the corporation to a private entity.
However, the Group Managing Director of Harmony Holdings, Mr Tope Daramola, said the company was not behind the proposed repeal of the edict establishing the corporation.
He said the Holdings was merely playing supervisory role in the corporation, adding that the corporation was in "comatose" when it was handed over to it.
He added that the Company is now on sound footing having injected N170 million of its cash to resuscitate the "nearly moribund" corporation.
Daramola said Harmony holdings had paid all outstanding salaries for Workers, several banks debts and purchased 42 new buses which will be commissioned soon.
He gave an assurance that the Holdings would not intimidate or sack any worker if the state House of assembly eventually repeals the act establishing the Corporation.
"As of today we do not own Kwara Express, we are only overseeing the corporation and we have substantially added value to it. As long as we have the mandate of the governor to over see them we cannot say no.
"We did not sponsor the bill, if they have grievances, it is between them and the government but I want to assure them that the governor will never leave any of the citizen stranded", he said.
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