Awka-Workers in the Anambra Property and Land Use Charge (APLUC) on Monday staged a peaceful protest to demand the payment of their four months salaries.
The protesters, numbering about 25, crippled the economic activities of the state government as they locked the gates leading to the office as early as 7.00 a.m.
One of the protesters who pleaded anonymity said that the protest followed the agency’s threat to sack some of its workers when their four months’ salary was not paid.
“We want the arrears of our salaries to be paid before the planned re-organisation of the agency because we don’t know when they will pay us if some of us are sacked,” the protester said.
The agency is one of those responsible for collecting the state government’s property and land use charges.
Reacting, its Head of Administration, Human Resource and Media, Mrs Chinenye Okafor, explained that the workers were owed the salaries due to some challenges.
“What actually led to their action is the management’s decision to re-organise, but no staff member will be sacked.
“We have some challenges affecting the project generally which the management is already collaborating with the state government to resolve,’’ Okafor said.
She said that some of the challenges included the delay in the passage of revenue court law, non-provision of special revenue courts and high litigation/enforcement costs.
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Okafor said other challenges were poor media enlightenment and illegal collection by some agents.
“As soon as the government resolves these challenges, collection of revenue will improve and the funding issues will be resolved,” she said. (NAN)