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Tag: Ekiti workers

  • Ekiti workers smile home with N70,000 minimum wage

    Ekiti workers smile home with N70,000 minimum wage

    • Oyo begins payment of N80,000 next month

    It was jubilation galore yesterday as public service workers in Ekiti State across all categories started receiving alerts for the December salary, reflecting the N70,000 new minimum wage and its consequential adjustment.

    The workers, in their hundreds, including permanent secretaries and directors, stormed the Governor’s Office in Ado Ekiti, dancing and singing in appreciation of payment of the new salary structure.

    The workers praised Governor Biodun Oyebanji for fulfilment of his promise to implement the new minimum wage and the consequential adjustment for public service workers and permanent secretaries.

    Receiving the jubilant workers, Oyebanji, accompanied by Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye; and Secretary to the State Government, Dr Habibat Adubiaro, urged them to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for enabling the state to implement the new minimum wage to its workforce.

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    The governor said the minimum wage was made possible because of President Tinubu’s developmental reforms, which ceded more funds to states.

    He said but for the President’s reforms, which gave more money to states, a number of state governments would not have been able to pay the minimum wage.

    Oyebanji said: “Honestly, I don’t think you should thank me. We have not done anything unusual. You worked hard and got paid by the government. But I thank you also for showing appreciation. Thank God and after God, the only person you should thank is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.  I’m saying this because what you are seeing today are the outcomes of the reforms he embarked on.

    Oyo State Government and labour leaders have reached an agreement on the payment modalities of the new minimum wage and its consequential adjustments for all cadres of workers.

    The agreement was reached and signed by members of the State Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (Negotiating Council), comprising representatives of the government and leaders of the Organised Labour yesterday.

    It was gathered that the agreement was reached after series of negotiation and collective bargaining between the two sides of the Negotiating Council.

    According to the details of the agreement sighted by The Nation, the new minimum wage payable in the Public Service of Oyo State is N80,000.26 per month and the consequential adjustment is across all levels and categories of workers in the state civil/public service.

    It was agreed that the new minimum wage salary structure would be effective nominally from July 1, 2024, and financially from January 1, 2025.

    It was gathered that the new minimum wage-based salary structure was applicable to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government, local governments, parastatals and primary school teachers.

    State government officials in the Negotiating Council include: Prof.  Olanike Adeyemo (Secretary to State Government), Mrs Olubunmi Oni (Head of Service), Commissioners Abiodun Aikomo (Justice/Attorney General), Akinola Ojo (Finance), Olusegun Olayiwola (Establishment and Training) and Comrade Adebayo Titilola-Sodo (Special Adviser on Labour Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde).

    On the Organised Labour side, the members include Comrade Kayode Martins (Oyo NLC Chair), Comrade Bosun Olabiyi (TUC Chair), Comrade Seun Olanipekun (Joint Negotiating Council), Comrade Kola Badmus, Comrade Adeogun Ayobami, Comrade Olumide Lawal and Comrade Olusegun Abatan.

    “You know states would not have been able to pay the minimum wage if there had not been a remarkable improvement in our allocation. When he embarked on the reforms, he did so, having in mind that it may be painful initially, but at the end of the day, it will be in the interest of all of us.

    “My plea to you is to support the President. It can get better because N70,000 is just the minimum, we can go beyond it if our situation improves and I know that by the time all these reforms start to bear fruits, there will be a quantum increase in what comes to the states and we can come to you and say yes, we can afford to add more.

    “I thank President Tinubu for the courage and boldness to walk a lonely path, because when he embarked on the reforms, most people didn’t believe in him, but because he is a leader that is future thinking, he has been able to achieve more.

    “My advice to workers is that we should remain steadfast, be patient and cooperate with the government. We should also educate others on the usefulness of these reforms to our survival as a country.”

  • Ekiti workers petition Assembly over Fayose’s N264m ‘grants’ to labour leaders

    Workers in Ekiti State have petitioned the House of Assembly Committee on Public Accounts calling for the probe of alleged monthly release of N6 million to labour leaders by former Governor Ayo Fayose for nearly four years.

    Acting under the aegis of Ekiti Workers Rescue Team (EWRT), the workers urged the Assembly panel to summon the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman Ade Adesanmi and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Mr. Odunayo Adesoye, to explain how they spent the cash from 2015 to date.

    The monthly releases amount to about N264 million.

    In the petition, dated November 23, the EWRT claimed that N6 million monthly given to the labour leaders did not reflect in the union’s bank accounts.

    It regretted that “the wicked conspiracy and unholy alliance” between Fayose and the labour leaders showed why they could not fight for workers’ rights during the last administration.

    The group told the Assembly panel that this constituted a moral burden to the labour leaders, who failed to agitate for the payment of arrears of salaries and allowances under Fayose but consistently hailed him when workers were dying of hunger.

    The petition, which was addressed to the House Committee Chairman on Public Accounts, Gboyega Aribisogan, was signed by EWRT Chairman, Mr. Ojo Ayodeji and Secretary, Mr. W. A. Ajayi.

    Attached to the petition was the Auditor General’s Report for the year ended 31 December, 2017, which showed that the TUC received N1 million monthly and the NLC got N5 million monthly under Fayose as “running grants”.

    In the report, the Auditor General recommended that “trade unions, irrespective of their closeness to government, should not be treated as government offices”.

    It added: “The unions are umbrella bodies for workers whose responsibilities are to see to the welfare of their members.

     

  • Ekiti workers reject Fayose’s single salary payment

    Workers’ unrest is looming in Ekiti State.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it will henceforth reject the payment of one salary per month from Governor Ayo Fayose.

    In a statement, NLC said: “It was becoming clearer by the day that the government was not committed to the payment, as earlier promised, with the way things are going.”

    The NLC State Council urged Fayose to be prepared to pay two months salary and pension per month till the expiration of his tenure in October for industrial peace to be guaranteed in the state.

    These are among the decisions the State Executive Council (SEC) reached at its meeting on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, in a statement by the State NLC Chairman Raymond Ade Adesanmi.

    Workers had expected that Fayose would pay at least two months salary from the N5.5 billion allocation the state got for June, but their hopes were dashed as they only received salary alerts for one month.

    According to the statement, the Ekiti NLC demanded that the government should look for an alternative way to offset outstanding salary, pension and gratuities before the situation gets out of hands.

    The union contended that salary arrears of workers and pensions of retirees could be best defrayed by paying at least two salaries/pensions per month as from July.

    Adesanmi regretted that the union was finding it “extremely difficult” to convince the workers that the Fayose administration would fulfil its pledge to pay up before Governor-elect Kayode Fayemi takes office on October 16.

    Noting that the latest action had no political undertone, the NLC chairman said workers in the state should remain apolitical while Labour would ensure that the welfare of its members are treated with priority.

    Adesanmi said: “The Ekiti State government appeared not to be ready to fulfil its pledge of defraying the longstanding gratuity, pension, salary and deductions for workers before the end of the tenure of the present government.

    “The situation about the outstanding salary is even worse with the local government workers and primary school teachers in the state.

    “The situation has reached an unbearable level with workers of Ekiti State as thereby put the name and integrity of the labour leaders at stake; hence, they could not stand and fold their arms.

    “With just two months left for this government to finish its tenure, workers of Ekiti State are hopeless about the payment of the outstanding of salary, pension, gratuity and deductions owed by the state government; more so that there are no convincing strategies in place to fulfil the promise that this administration will not leave as a debtor.

    “Following this, leaders are now in a difficult position to convince the workers on the need to endure further.

    “We are hereby saying that failure to address this pitiable and emphatic situation of workers in Ekiti State, the leadership of Labour in the state may not be able to guarantee industrial harmony in the state.”

  • Wike, Rivers APC bicker over ‘6-month bailout for Ekiti workers’

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and the state’s chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday disagreed on the alleged six-month bailout for Ekiti State’s workers.

    Rivers APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Chief Chris Finebone, condemned Wike’s decision to pay six months salary arrears of Ekiti workers with Rivers money before the governorship election, when Rivers government workers and pensioners were being owed for many months, which it said must be protested.

    Wike, through Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, in his reaction, described the APC’s statement as “false and a huge lie from familiar lips.”

    Rivers APC pointed out that what started as a rumour, had now been confirmed, simply because Wike wanted to impress Governor Ayodele Fayose of the same Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other leaders of the main opposition party, while scheming to be vice president in 2019.

    It said: “The curious bailout Wike is about offering his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayo Fayose, will be coming against the backdrop of imminent reduction of the number of civil servants of Rivers State, which Wike has ordered. It comes against a decaying secretariat complex (in Port Harcourt), where Rivers State civil servants endure untold inconveniences every working day.

    “Indeed, it comes against the suffering of pensioners owed many months of gratuity and pension. Paradoxically, even political appointees of Wike are enduring untold hardship, suffering and smiling, except for the select cabal, popularly referred to as Cardinals.”

    Rivers APC also noted that after the defeat of PDP in the 2015 presidential election, Wike effectively took over control of the party nationally and had since been spending billions of naira belonging to Rivers taxpayers to sustain the PDP.

    It said: “Sadly, Wike spent billions of naira to hold an ill-fated national convention of the party in Port Harcourt in May, 2016. Afterwards, Wike single-handedly sustained the PDP with billions of naira belonging to Rivers people throughout the period the party was under the leadership of Alhaji Ahmed Markarfi-led caretaker committee. Wike, it was, who used the resources of Rivers State to fund the protracted legal tussle between the caretaker committee and its factional group, led by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

    “Following the victory of the Makarfi-led caretaker committee at the Supreme Court, Wike, again, bankrolled the national convention of the party that followed in 2017 with Rivers State commonwealth. This culminated in Wike decimating and silencing the Southwest zone and other leaders in PDP, to successfully capture the national structure of PDP by installing his acolyte and stooge, Prince Uche Secondus (from Andoni LGA of Rivers State), as the party’s national chairman.

    “Quite sadly, the decision of Wike to pay outstanding six months salaries owed to Ekiti State civil servants is coming as part of Wike’s inordinate desire to maintain his position as the leading financier and national leader of PDP. Whereas, other PDP governors are busy developing their states and bettering the standard of living of their people, Wike remains consumed by the obscene and inordinate craving to continue as the little god of PDP.

    “While no one begrudges him the pursuit of his vane glory, the bitter truth is that Wike is fritting away resources that should be channelled at bettering the lot of the ordinary Rivers people.”

    The main opposition APC in Rivers also stated that it found it hard to believe that Rivers governor that came into office and immediately discontinued and returned Rivers youths on overseas scholarship, on account of lack of funds, found it convenient to play Father Christmas for purely political reasons.

    It said: “We ask: why is it that other PDP governors of equally oil-rich Akwa Ibom and Delta States are not throwing the commonwealth of their people at sustaining and controlling the PDP?

    “Wike, in his bid to take advantage of the killings in Benue State some months ago, doled out N500 million to Benue State, with the sole aim of luring Governor Samuel Ortom (of APC) to join the PDP. The Benue State governor collected the money and boldly rebuffed Wike’s entreaties. In that drama, the poor Rivers taxpayers were the losers, while Wike continues in his satanic extravaganza with our money.

    “The APC calls on Rivers people to protest the decision of Wike to, once again, embark on this senseless and atrocious decision to spend billions of naira belonging to Rivers people to pay six months outstanding salaries of Ekiti State civil servants, while the workers and people of Rivers State are suffering poverty, indignities and penury.”

    The main opposition party also admonished Rivers electorate to prepare to replace Wike next year, in order to ensure good governance and commensurate development in the Niger Delta state.

     

  • Ekiti workers kick against planned anti-Buhari rally

    • warn labour leaders not to drag them into politics

    Workers in Ekiti State have kicked against an alleged plan to coerce them into a public protest against President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration.

    They claimed that the rally was planned to protest against the alleged stoppage of the N1.3 billion monthly Budget Support Fund (BSF) by the Federal Government with effect from December 2017.

    BSF is a fund set aside by the Federal Government to assist the 36 States of the Federation in the payment of workers’ salaries.

    A section of the state work force, the Enlightened Workers Forum (EWF) condemned alleged moves to drag civil servants into a public protest scheduled for Monday, January 29.

    EWF in a statement on Saturday by its State Coordinator, Mr. Mike Bamidele, accused the state Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman, Comrade Odunayo Adesoye, of being the arrowhead of the plot to recruit and draft workers into the rally. Bamidele said workers are apolitical and non-partisan and should not be dragged into politics under whatever guise.

    Responding, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman in Ekiti State, Comrade Odunayo Adesoye, has denied being part of the plan to stage a rally against the alleged stoppage of Budget Support Funds (BSF) to the Ayo Fayose administration.

    Adesoye who spoke in a telephone chat with The Nation, described the Enlightened Workers’ Forum (EWF) which made the allegation as a “faceless group.”

     

  • Fayose owes more than four months arrears – Ekiti workers

    Fayose owes more than four months arrears – Ekiti workers

    Workers in Ekiti State appear set for a showdown with Governor Ayo Fayose over his claim on a television station on  Thursday that his administration is owing only four months arrears of salaries. The governor, was answering questions on the propriety of his presidential ambition when he was owing workers.

    The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Raymond Ade Adesanmi, refuted the governor’s claim. Accoring to him, “Fayose owes various categories of workers under him between five and eight months arrears of salaries. Adesanmi disclosed that Fayose’s claim of owing just only four months arrears is already causing tension and disquiet among the workforce.

    He advised government “to always come out with correct information to douse the raging tension in the system.” Speaking with reporters in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, Adesanmi said although the workers are still loyal to the government, they won’t tolerate comments about their welfare that could strain the relationship between the workforce and the government.

    Clarifying the level of government’s indebtedness to  workers, Adesanmi said: “The state workers’ benefits are in different categories thus: pension, gratuity, deductions and salary. “As we speak now, the state civil servants are owed  five months salary arrears,  local government, eight months and institutions on subvention, like College of Education Ikere, College of Health Technology Ijero and Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, are owed seven month salary arrears.

    “One cannot but talk about the plight of the pensioners, because one day we will all retire, either on account of age or length of service. As of now, pensioners  are  being owed five months pension arrears while gratuity has not been paid since 2012 when former Governor Kayode Fayemi was in the saddle. Ekiti workers are not oblivious of the economic recession that had depleted the financial strength of many states of the federation, including Ekiti.

    “Let me state that we all owe it a responsibility to contribute to the development of this state, but we need to give out correct and accurate information to the public , so that the government and workers can be on the same page, otherwise there will be friction. I want to appeal to the already restive workers to be patient, particularly those who were ruffled by the information,” he said.

     

  • Fayose owes more than four months arrears – Ekiti workers

    Fayose owes more than four months arrears – Ekiti workers

    Workers in Ekiti State appear set for a showdown with Governor Ayo Fayose over his claim on Channels Television on Thursday that his administration is owing only four months arrears of salaries. The governor, who had earlier in the day declared his intent to run for the presidency of Nigeria in 2019, was asked on the propriety of his ambition when he was owing workers under him.

    But the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ekiti State, Raymond Ade Adesanmi, refuted the governor’s claim maintaining that “Fayose owes various categories of workers under him between five and eight months arrears of salaries. Adesanmi disclosed that Fayose’s claim of owing just only four months arrears is already causing tension and disquiet among the workforce.

    He advised government “to always come out with correct information to douse the raging tension in the system.” Speaking with reporters in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, Adesanmi said although the workers are still loyal to the government, they won’t tolerate comments about their welfare that could strain the relationship between the workforce and the government.

    Clarifying the level of government’s indebtedness to workers, Adesanmi said: “The state workers’ benefits are in different categories thus: pension, gratuity, deductions and salary. “As we speak now, the state civil servants are owed  five months’ salary arrears,  local government, eight months and institutions on subvention, like College of Education Ikere, College of Health Technology Ijero and Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, are owed seven month salary arrears.

    “One cannot but talk about the plight of the pensioners, because one day we will all retire, either on account of age or length of service. As of now, pensioners are  being owed five months pension arrears while gratuity has not been paid since 2012 when former Governor Kayode Fayemi was in the saddle. Ekiti workers are not oblivious of the economic recession that had depleted the financial strength of many states of the federation, including Ekiti.

    “Let me state that we all owe it a responsibility to contribute to the development of this state, but we need to give out correct and accurate information to the public , so that the government and workers can be on the same page, otherwise there will be friction. I want to appeal to the already restive workers to be patient, particularly those who were ruffled by the information,” he said.

  • Better days ahead for Ekiti workers, says Oni

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy National Chairman (South) and governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, has promised better days for the people, if elected in 2018. He promised a new lease of life for civil servants, pensioners and artisans from October 2018 when the tenure of the current administration would end and a new government would be formed.

    The governorship hopeful said he is not happy about the huge arrears of salaries, gratuities and pensions being piled up monthly in the state. While sympathising with Ekiti State workers and retirees on the hard times they are going through, Oni said that they deserve better than what they are getting ‘as even the holy books strongly assert that a labourer deserves his wages’.

    He promised to make workers’ welfare a priority if elected next year saying, “in my first tenure, I inherited gratuity and pension arrears even from the old Ondo State and we paid them off. We did an analysis on post-retirement poverty with which we tackled. We were determined not to owe anyone by 31st of December, 2007 and we achieved it.

    Oni argued that prompt and regular payment of salaries, gratuities and pensions depend largely on what each administration considers its priority and submitted that salaries should be the priority of governments because the worker deserves his wages. He promised to enthrone a new social and economic order if elected as the next governor in Ekiti State.

     

  • Hunger in Ekiti Civil service: I will pay if… – Governor

    Hunger in Ekiti Civil service: I will pay if… – Governor

    There was a drama at this year’s May Day celebration in Ekiti State on Monday when workers demanded payment of their salaries.

    The state workers are owed six months arrears while local government employees have not been paid for seven months.

    The workers shouted “salary! salary!! salary!!!” as Fayose was rounding off his address.

    Some of them shouted: “Osoko, we are hungry.”

    But Fayose replied: “I can only pay your salaries when I get cash backing from Abuja. At times, we get cash backing three weeks after we held FAAC meetings.”

    The governor’s explanation dampened the morale of many of the workers who had expected a favourable answer from him.

    This year’s Workers Day which took place inside the main bowl of Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in Ado Ekiti recorded poor attendance as many workers stayed away from the event.

    The leadership of the state chapters of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) decorated Fayose as “Comrade Governor.”

    Fayose declared that the representative of the Minister of Labour should not be allowed to address Ekiti workers in 2018 Workers’ Day.

    He predicated his position on the alleged failure of the Federal Government to redirect the country’s economy to jack up allocations to the state.

    The governor said only the Head of Service, Gbenga Faseluka and state labour leaders would be allowed to address the rally, saying the federal government lacks the moral right to address the state workers for failing to fulfil its obligations.

    The state NLC Chairman, Ade Adesanmi, urged Fayose to pay their outstanding salaries, saying “the non-payment has come to a point where we have to open up, in fact, we are hungry.”

    The NLC chief urged the governor to expedite action on workers’ promotion and ensure payment of pension and gratuities.

     

  • Ekiti workers angry with Fayose over Ozekhome’s N75m legal fee

    Ekiti workers angry with Fayose over Ozekhome’s N75m legal fee

    Civil servants in Ekiti State have condemned Governor Ayo Fayose’s alleged payment of N75 million as legal fees to a legal practitioner,Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), for handling his case against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    An interest group in the state workforce, the Enlightened Workers Forum (EWF), said payment of what they called a “huge amount” on Fayose’s private case was sad, condemnable and unjustifiable at a period workers are owed six months’ arrears of salaries.

    In a statement issued on Friday by EWF Coordinator, Mike Bamidele, the workers said Fayose should explain to workers and people of the state on why he shelled out N75 million as “part payment” to Ozekhome which they said has further dented the image of the state.

    They wondered why they are still being owed six months’ arrears after the Federal Government had released N9.6 billion bailout, N8.88 billion and budget support funds for nine months amounting to N10 billion within a space of one year and two months.

    The workers’ body said Fayose has much explanation on how the financial reliefs received from the federal government were spent and why they are still being owed arrears.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a counter-affidavit filed before a Federal High Court in Lagos claimed that the N75 million was part of the proceeds of the alleged loot from the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

    The EFCC filed the counter-affidavit in opposition to an application by Ozekhome seeking to unfreeze his account which was blocked by the anti-graft agency.

    The EFCC averred that N75 million transferred to Ozekhome’s account domiciled in Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) was part of the N2.1 billion allegedly paid to Fayose from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) under Dasuki’s watch shortly before the June 21, 2014 governorship poll in Ekiti State.

    But the workers said evidence given in court by former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, was a proof that the EFCC action was not politically-motivated as alleged by Fayose urging the governor to leave them (workers) out of his trouble with anti-graft body

    The statement reads: “Releasing a whopping sum of N75 million to Ozekhome as part payment of legal fee in the governor’s private case with the EFCC, particularly at a time when he had bluntly refused to pay salaries and pensions.

    “No matter the amount of coloration given to the case, it is not a state case; rather, it is purely a private one involving him and the EFCC and therefore should have been prosecuted with his personal fund.”

    The workers recalled that Nigerians were shocked when Fayose claimed that his campaign was sponsored by Zenith Bank only for the bank to deny the claim adding that revelations from the court is a challenge to the governor that he owes Ekiti people explanations.

    They said further: “By the way, what impression is Fayose trying to create in this case? Is he trying to turn to white what the whole works already knew as black? He said the money found in his account at the Zenith Bank was donated by the bank to sponsor his 2014 election but the bank promptly denied.

    “The EFCC said it was his own share of the diverted N2.1 billion arms fund. Senator Obanikoro who brought the money to him did not only come out to confess but had begun to pay back his own share.

    “His personal assistant corroborated the statement of the senator, the bank manager confirmed it, driver of the bullion van did same so also is the pilot of the plane that brought the money. Yet, Fayose insisted, it was his money but from what source?”