The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ogun workers

  • Ogun workers decry 106 months unremitted pension funds, others

    Civil servants in Ogun State have expressed worry over the “uncertain future” that awaits them, following the non-remittance of 106 months of Contributory Pension by the Ibikunle Amosun administration.

    Acting under the aegis of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSC), the workers sent a letter, dated December 5, to the governor on their plight.

    They decried the unpaid four-year leave bonus, 10 months of unpaid Trade Union check-off due and gratuity payment suspended since January 2014.

    In the letter, titled: Revisiting Our Plight: Unpaid Entitlements and Other Issues, was signed by its Secretary, Comrade Adebiyi Olusegun,

    The workers also listed months of unpaid global deductions and outstanding promotion from 2016, 2017 and this year as arrears owed them by the state government.

    They said the situation had left them at the “crossroads where capacity to absorb shocks and uncertainties any longer has been exhausted”.

    According to them, the government breached an agreement on the last tranche of the Paris Club refund of N17.3 billion to the state for the payment of arrears of trade union check-off dues.

    The letter said: “We must as well register our displeasure on the sort of maltreatment meted out to the Organised Labour over the last tranche of the Paris Club refund of N17.3 billion to the state, which from the outset, we collaborate with open conscience to have addressed a press conference hurriedly that the state government will commit over N10 billion of it to offering various outstanding due to state workers, inclusive of all arrears of Trade Union check-off dues as communicated to us by the Commissioner of Finance.

    “We, therefore, take the outright neglect of Trade Union’s in eventual payment of some these arrears as betrayal of trust.”

    The workers urged the government to address the issues they raised to avoid an industrial disharmony.

    They called for an “immediate action at addressing these long-drawn issues would go some miles at dousing the tensed situation now at its ebbs which, as it were, might disrupt the relative industrial harmony currently being experienced in the state”.

    Also, workers of Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE), Omu-Ijebu, Ogun State, have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to order Amosun to pay them their salary arrears.

    In a letter to the President by the Chairman of the school’s Coalition Staff Union, Mr. Daniel Aborisade, the workers said the state government was owing them N4 billion Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary and Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure arrears from July 2009 to last October.

    Aborisade said the money is owed them by the former administration of Gbenga Daniel and his successor, Amosun.

    The letter reads: “We were further subjected to frustration and untold hardship by the government due to the non-payment of salary for 14 consecutive months, making it difficult to feed ourselves, our immediate family and cope with the present economy imbalances.

    “After much persuasion and appeals to the government, vis-a-vis the appointment of a new Provost for the college, the state government resumed the payment of half-salary with effect from August, 2016 to July 2017 and October 2017.

    “Between August, 2017 and the time of writing this report, the percentage of the monthly salary paid to workers in the college has increased to 60 per cent (September 2017 to September 2018).

    “Between May 2011 and October 2018, the college has lost 45 employees. Some of them died because of little medical expenses that could not be paid at hospital.”

  • Ogun workers suspend strike

    Ogun workers suspend strike

    Organised labour in Ogun State has suspended its two-week-old strike, it was learnt yesterday.

    According to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report, the suspension was announced in Abeokuta by the local Chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JNC) in the Gateway State, Abiodun Olakanmi.

    Olakanmi, who addressed civil servants the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Secretariat, directed them to resume work today.

    The development followed a tripartite meeting held yesterday in Abeokuta between officials of the state government and representatives of labour at the state and national level.

    The meeting, which kicked off at 10.am.  at the Governor’s Office, ended at 6.pm with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou), a copy of which was given to the NAN.

    Workers began an indefinite strike on October 20 to protest non-remittance of 12 months deductions from workers’ salaries among other claims.

    The meeting agreed that outstanding deductions should be paid on or before May, 2017.

    It also agreed that one year arrears of check- off dues should be immediately offset while the government should set aside N200 million every other month for payment of outstanding gratuities effective November.

    The meeting also agreed that last year’s promotion result be released immediately while a quarterly meeting between the government and labour should be held to promote industrial harmony.

    It agreed that a joint committee of both government and labour should be set up to consider issues concerning the contributory pension scheme and submit a report to the government within 90 days.

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who also addressed newsmen after the meeting, apologised to all Nigerians over the industrial action in Ogun.

    He said that as a responsible employer of labour, the government realised its responsibility to pay salaries to its employees.

    The governor said that the state was second only to Lagos state in terms of regular payment of salaries.

    He, however, lamented that the harsh economic realities in the country had constrained the government in fully discharging its responsibilities to its workers.

    “We have the best civil service in the whole of Nigeria and no governor dead or alive in Ogun had romanced or massaged the ego of the workers as I have done,” he said.

    On the issue of the dismissal of the state chairman of NLC, Akeem Ambali and 15 other members of the union, Amosun said “it is not connected with the issue of the strike.’’

    “The government did not sack the affected workers because of strike but because they mixed work with politics. We shall, however, see what is possible,” he said.

    Amosun assured that his administration would implement all the agreements reached at the meeting.

  • No plan to sack Ogun workers, says govt

    No plan to sack Ogun workers, says govt

    The Ogun State government has refuted allegations by the Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it would reduce the workforce, if Governor Ibikunle Amosun was re-elected next month.

    In a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the government described the allegations as false, wicked, baseless and reckless.

    The statement said there were no plans to retrench workers but that a fresh recruitment exercise was at an advanced stage.

    It condemned the allegation as a design to create panic by a desperate party facing defeat.

    The statement reads: “We have no reason to reduce the workforce because workers remain an integral part of the successful pursuit of our ‘Mission to Rebuild’ Ogun State. “Indeed, our assessments have indicated need for additional personnel in key areas. Workers have contributed to the visible developments in our state.

    “That is why although the last government defaulted on its wage bill, which was about N4 billion, we have coped with the increase in the total wage bill to N6.2 billion monthly and have paid the workers up-to-date.

    “We have not only cleared the backlog of salaries and deductions inherited from the last PDP administration, we have also paid 42 months deductions.

    “The government has an arrangement with workers on how to pay the outstanding and that was one of the agreements we reached with them during our last interactive session with them.”

    The government said it demonstrated its worker-friendly tendency by recruiting over 20,000 workers.

    It noted that workers know the difference between Amosun and his predecessor, Gbenga Daniel, who in a radio interview described Ogun workers as “naive, ignorant and gullible”.

    “We insist that from our experience and interaction with the workers, Ogun State civil servants and the people are sophisticated and hard working.

    “They, in fact, have a rich tradition. The workers know who best represents their interests. They know the difference between now when public resources are devoted to public work, and the past, when government institutionalised corruption, oppression and insecurity.”

    It assured the workers that the administration would continue to protect their interests by giving them their dues and that the size of the service would continue to grow so that the state can cope with challenges from its emerging modern economy.

    The government advised the people to ignore the falsehood being dished out by the opposition, whose leaders obviously hold the people in contempt.

  • Ogun workers demand Nov salary

    Ogun State workers have urged Governor Ibikunle Amosun to pay their November salaries and subsequent ones promptly.

    Addressing reporters in Abeokuta, the state capital, yesterday, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ambali Akeem said the workers’ plight was worrisome.

    Ambali said: “Our salary is about N2.5billion. So, if the government can say the Internally Generated Revenue has hit N6billion, then, what is the rationale behind the non payment of November salary?

    “And no hope of this month’s salary, workers have been thrown into confusion. It is unjustifiable and we demand urgent attention. May be some people are trying to misadvise the governor.

    “It is good to do infrastructure development, but, where there is no human capital development, there cannot be happy civil servants.

    “Even if we are having challenges with money, what about our pension? Why are you not paying it? The union decries the non-payment of 12.5 per cent peculiar teachers’ allowance.”

  • promotion exam for Ogun workers

    OGUN State Civil Service Commission has conducted the yearly promotion examination for civil servants.

    Commissioner 1 in the service commission, Alhaji Soji Olusesi spoke yesterday at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, venue of the exam.

    He urged the workers to promote quality service delivery and to reciprocate the government’s commitment at improving their welfare and condition of service.

    Olusesi, while answering questions from reporters, assured participants of prompt release of their result within six weeks.

    “You know if you work, you must expect gain. They have been working in the last two, three years and now, they are expecting to move to another grade. To motivate them to put in their best, we are having the promotion examination.

    “All things being equal, by the grace of God, in the next six weeks, immediately, Governor Ibikunle Amosun approves the promotion examination, they will get their letters.

    “To whom much is given, much is expected. The governor has been so kind to civil servants; he has paid them their salaries, he has given them incentives and he has given them promotion. So, we are expecting that they continue to be loyal and do their work as efficiently as possible.