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Tag: Oyo workers

  • Makinde approves 13th-month salary for Oyo workers

    Makinde approves 13th-month salary for Oyo workers

    Governor Seyi Makinde has approved the payment of a 13th-month salary to Oyo State workers, marking the seventh consecutive year the gesture will be extended to the state’s workforce.

    The governor also approved the payment of outstanding salaries and minimum wage arrears owed to staff of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.

    Makinde announced this on Monday while inaugurating the Governing Board of the Teaching Hospital at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan. 

    He assured that his administration would soon address the issues that led to the recent strike by LAUTECH lecturers.

    The governor also tasked the newly inaugurated Governing Board with revamping the Oyo Annex of the Teaching Hospital within 12 months, pledging full support from the state government to make the facility fully operational.

    “You have been selected or nominated on the basis of merit,” Makinde said. “The Chairman of the Governing Board, Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, is an accomplished individual. He has been everywhere, and many organisations seek his expertise. So thank you, Prof, for agreeing to serve your state.”

    “Prof has developed a roadmap, and he has asked me when can we sit down and agree on this so that he can start implementation. 

    “Also, I have been trying to see Prof. Ayodeji Omole, Chairman of LAUTECH Governing Council, for a while now because I have been reading about the lecturers either going on strike or not going on strike. I haven’t really taken a deeper dive into what is going on in there. So, I hope that in the next one or two days we will be able to see what is going on. 

    “When I came to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, I made a promise about the issues around the minimum wage arrears, and all of that. And a lot of your people have been asking, ‘What’s the situation because we haven’t received the alert?’ Let me explain. I made that pronouncement, and I expected it to be implemented, but they came back and said, ‘Well, we have to follow due process.’ I am happy to report that just this morning, I signed the salary file for the December salary and the 13th-month salary. All those arrears were included.  

    “So they should rest assured. I can also announce here that just like we did last year, and just like we have been doing since 2019, there will be 13th-month salaries as well.”

    Speaking further, the governor tasked the new Governing Board to hit the ground running, saying: “One request that I have before this Board is that the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Complex, Oyo, must be totally revamped. It should be operational within 12 months. 

    “So, by this time next year, we will not be going back and forth. I thought it was included in the French grant, but they came back and said no. I said okay, even if it was not included, we will take it on as a state. It is a special project for 12 months. And I will be available to provide and give any kind of support that you may require.”

    Speaking on behalf of the Governing Board, the Chairman, Professor Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and assured the board’s readiness to complement government efforts with policies that would transform the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital to a world-class facility.

    He said, “I want to express my deepest gratitude to the governor, and I want to assure him and the state government that we have a Board that is going to be transparent and open to make sure we leave a legacy with this project bestowed on us.

    “We are going to do our duty with a lot of energy and passion. We have developed a strong strategic plan for the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital over the next several years. The Board is going to have a thorough discussion on priorities. 

    “We want to ensure that we have a thorough facelift of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital. We also want to bring the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital up to the 21st-century standard as a legacy for this governor. 

    “So, we are going to be establishing the Electronic Medical Record to ensure that what applies globally is going to be the same thing that applies in LAUTECH.”

    The newly inaugurated Governing Board is headed by Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, with Mr Aderemi Adeniyi Adediji as Secretary. Other members are Mr Olatunde Gabriel Oyelade, Dr Bello Adebayo Taiwo, Mrs Isola Agnes Bolanle, Dr Akintunde Kehinde Ayinde, Prof. Olawale Adebayo Olakulehin, Prof. Adenike Olugbenga-Bello, and Dr. Oluwajoba Olayinka.

    The event was attended by the Deputy Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal, wife of a former Governor of Oyo State, Ayaba Mutiat Ladoja; former deputy governor, Engr Hamid Gbadamosi; former Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu; Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Iyabo Yerima; Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Saminu Gbadamosi; Secretary to the State Government, Prof Olanike Adeyemo; Chief of Staff, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; Head of Service, Mrs Olubunmi Oni mni; and Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon Kazeem Adeniyi.

    Also in attendance were Special Adviser on Intervention, Mrs Aderonke Adedayo; Co-Chairman, Oyo State Elders’ Council, Elder Wole Oyelese; Pro Chancellor and Chairman, LAUTECH, Prof. Ayodeji Omole; Vice Chancellor, LAUTECH, Prof Rasaq Rom Kalilu; Chairman of Local Government Chairmen in Oyo State, Hon Sikiru Oyedele Sanda; Prof Temitope Alonge and Labour Union leaders, among others.

  • Oyo workers threaten sit-at-home protest over unmet wage demands

    Oyo workers threaten sit-at-home protest over unmet wage demands

    Oyo workers have declared their intention to stage a sit-at-home protest at the end of October if the state government does not meet their demands for a wage increase of N35,000 for workers and N25,000 for pensioners.

    The workers in a resolution after a congress held at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State Secretariat, Ikolaba Axis, Ibadan, said the wage award is in line with the federal government economic relief package for workers to cushion the effect of economic hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal.

    The leadership of the workers had earlier briefed the workers on the activities of the committee set up by the state government to fashion a suitable arrangement for the wage award, before reaching resolutions based on recommendations from workers.

    Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Oyo NLC Chairman, Com. Kayode Martins pledged to pursue the resolutions of the congress to a logical conclusion until the state government aligned with their demands.

    Martins said: “Today’s congress was solely called on wage award issue, it’s been lingering all the while and workers in the state are fed up, even the pensioners, we’ve been having series of meetings, like we told Governor when the ad hoc committee was inaugurated that people are fed up already.”

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    “Since May 29 this year couple of months now nothing has been done, and we’ve been having meetings upon meetings, and people decided today that we are standing on the agreement made between the federal government in governors forum and labour leaders at the national level that at the end of the month of the wage award of N35,000 for workers, N25,000 for pensioners is not implemented people should stay at home.”

    “That is what our people bought into, and we declared, we are going to send the notice to the government and all the stakeholders as well in a couple of minutes. With what is on the ground in Oyo state, I’m appealing to the state government as a Pace Setter state they should add to the money and not deduct from it. This is time for us to have our payback even beyond N35,000; N25,000.”

    “The Excellency has been a man for the workers and the pensioners, he’s our own man, like we said during the electioneering his second term in office is our project and we’re able to deliver and this is payback time for us as well the workers and pensioners in the state. So, hopefully, we are believing God for something beyond N35,000 and N25,000 from him.”

    “If at the end of this month nothing is done we’re staying at home, we’re the mouthpiece of our people and our people have spoken and we are just there to speak their minds and we’re going to deliver their resolutions to the appropriate quarters.”

    In his remark, the Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Oyo state chapter, Com. Segun Abatan explained that though Governor Seyi Makinde has proven to show empathy for workers’ welfare but he must be wary of wrong advice which might pitch him against the workforce.

    Abatan said: “I want to state this that the Congress of the pensioners we organized on this same issue last week Thursday was a mini congress and this is the mother and father of all congresses as far as Oyo state is concerned, whatever is said here is binding us, so the Nigerian Union of Pensioners is fully support of all the decisions taken at this Congress here today, so there is no going back on it.

    “Workers can stay at home if something is not done for them, but pensioners have that liberty to come out and demonstrate and that is what is going to happen if what we’ve demanded for doesn’t happen.

    “During the electioneering period, governorship aspirants go all out to campaign and they all promised us Eldorado but immediately they get there they renege, though the Excellency has done so well in his first tenure but we want to advise him to do better in this 2.0 regime.”

    “He should not listen to “misadviser” because I will not call them special advisers, he should shun negative advice if he doesn’t want his administration to be disrespectful, what is on the ground now has diminished the image of this administration, I want him to redeem that image by doing the needful for workers and the pensioners in the state.”

    Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) Com. Ranti Oluwemimo said TUC is in solidarity with the resolution of the NLC, and would equally mobilize its members to also comply.

    He added: “NLC and TUC are inseparable twins, we have the same decision, our workers are here and I have a strong belief that our Governor is a listening Governor and I’m so optimistic that he’s going to listen to us on our demands and do something that is very good and he will even surprise us with a better response.

    “All the things we’ve been placing before him, he has been doing it, that is what gave me the maximum belief that this wage award he will do it without any stress, he will effect it, I’m trusting God.”

  • Oyo workers threaten strike over demands

    THE leadership of Oyo State Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has served the government a 24-hour ultimatum within which to meet a list of tough demands or face strike action from today.

    Part of the demands contained in a two-page statement jointly signed by the NLC secretary, Mohamed Ibrahim and the Secretary of Joint Negotiating Council, Lukman Balogun, after a meeting of all public service unions yesterday, include payment of at least one month arrear of salary to local government workers in Lagelu, Egbeda, Ogbomoso North and South, Surulere and Ibadan North West.

    The workers also demanded payment of the remaining salary arrears  to health workers under the umbrella of JOHESU as well as  immediate enhancement of security within the state hospital, at Ring Road, Ibadan.

    The union appealed to the Governing Board of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital to reinstate the sacked workers at the hospital and release letter of promotion up to 2016 as being enjoyed by workers in other sectors in the state.

    The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Bayo Titlola-Sodo, had on Wednesday evening told reporters that “a number of teething issues had been on the ground since 2011 when the outgoing government came into power”.

    The NLC chairman said the union was not getting favourable response from its negotiations with the outgoing government on the issues, including how to end the ongoing primary school teachers’ strike.

    The labour leader said if all the above demands were not met within 24 hours, “the leadership of all unions in the public service in Oyo State shall not be able to guarantee industrial peace and harmony in the state with effect from Friday, May 24, 2019.”

    The statement, however, acknowledged the commitment of the state government to the welfare of workers which include upgrading of the directorate cadre from grade level 16 to grade level 17 in tandem with the scheme of service in the Federal Civil Service level.

     

  • Workers begin warning strike over unpaid salaries

    Workers in the Oyo State Public Service on Wednesday began a three-day warning strike over unpaid salaries and withdrawal of promotion by the state government.

    The state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Waheed Olojede, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the workers were also protesting some other conditions.

    Olojede said that the state Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, comprising the NLC and Trade Union Congress, had been negotiating with the state government over the issues for the past three weeks.

    He said that one of the issues was `technical’ withdrawal of workers’ promotion earlier approved by the state Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, which the beneficiaries enjoyed for few months.

    “The promotion was approved by the governor in February 2018, which implementation commenced in March 2018, and a good number of workers started enjoying it.

    “To our surprise, by September 2018, the promotion was technically withdrawn by the Oyo State Government, and this led to setting up of a committee to meet the government to explain the reason.

    “Other issues are outstanding salaries of workers in local governments and primary schools. They are yet to collect their December 2018 salaries which others have collected.

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    “In some local governments, workers are owed salaries of three to five months; this is why we said government must do the necessary things to ensure that workers are paid as and when due,’’ Olojede said.

    The unionist told NAN that it was necessary for the government to address all the issues.

    According to him, a meeting between the committee and the government on Tuesday was inconclusive.

    “This led to the declaration of the three-day warning strike. We had earlier notified the government of warning strike.’’

    The NLC chairman added that there were crisis in state-owned tertiary institutions.

    He said that the institutions were facing one problem or the other and owed salaries and allowances, regretting that the situation had been leading to industrial unrest in the institutions.

  • Oyo workers get September, October salaries

    The Oyo State government has said the September and October salaries approved by Governor Abiola Ajimobi have been paid to the civil servants and teachers on government employ.

    The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism Mr. Toye Arulogun said the workers got their September salary late last week while the October salary had been paid this week.

    Arulogun said while the delay was regrettable, it was inevitable because of the imperative of due diligence to ensure accuracy of the actual payment.

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    The commissioner said the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) prepared the nominal roll for September in anticipation of the one-month salary payment, but the approval by the governor led to the urgent preparation of the October nominal roll, which passed through several processes.

    He added that the leadership of the workers’ unions was updated about the development to keep their members abreast of the situation.

    According to him, the government is working towards ensuring prompt payment of this month’s salary.

    Arulogun noted that with this payment, the government had paid all outstanding salaries of the civil servants and teachers on its payroll.

  • Oyo workers honour Adeshina, Ajimobi

    Oyo workers honour Adeshina, Ajimobi

    Dapo Lam Adeshina, the member representing Ibadan South East/Ibadan North East Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives and the caretaker chairman, Ibadan South East local government, Teslim Ajimobi, have bagged the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE) Ibadan South East Local Government chapter’s award for excellent performances.

    The politicians were presented with the awards alongside the Oyo state NULGE President, Alhaji Titilola Sodo, during the week at Mapo hall, Mapo, Ibadan. In his welcome address at the occasion, the Chairman NULGE Ibadan South East Local Government chapter, Comrade Taiwo Olateju explained that the award was organized to appreciate the awardees who were chosen because of numerous ways they have contributed to peoples’ welfare.

    Responding, Adeshina expressed gratitude to NULGE for the award, promising to work together with the council chairman to take the local government to enviable height. “As a member of the House of Reps, I will continue to champion the course of the council and work with the council chairman for us to achieve a common goal. This award came at the right time as it will motivate us to do more for the council,” he said.

    Ajimobi described the award as an encouragement. “This award is evidence that we have done well in the last few months. Our vision is to complement the efforts of the state government in turning around the fortune of Oyo State, and make the local government number one among others in terms of staff welfare, development  and good administration,” he said.

  • Health insurance for Oyo workers, contractors

    Health insurance for Oyo workers, contractors

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said the state’s health care insurance scheme is compulsory for workers and contractors.

    Ajimobi, who traced the Western involvement in health care to 1883 when compulsory sickness insurance started in Germany, said making the scheme compulsoiry would sustain the initiative and make it functional.

    The governor spoke at the launching of a N50 billion health care Endowment Fund at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.

    The fund is meant for the restoration and transformation of government hospitals and health centres in Oyo State.

    The state has 57 general hospitals and government clinics as well as 622 primary health centres.

    The event was well attended by traditional rulers, captains of industries, representatives of corporate organisations, international development partners, religious leaders, lawmakers, political office holders, community leaders, government appointees, policy makers and stakeholders in the health sector.

    •Oyo State Govenor Abiola Ajimobi (left), Prof. Olu Akinkugbe (second left), Olubadan of Ibadan Oba Saliu Adetunji (second right) and others at the launch of the N50b healthcare Endowment Fund in Ibadan…yesterday.

    Notable individuals at the event include the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji; Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, represented by Chief Yusuf Ayoola; Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola; and members of the Olubadan-in-Council, among others.

    Present also are Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu and his health counterpart, Prof. Isaac Adewole, represented by Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge; federal lawmakers from the state, among others.

    Speaking on modality to be adopted in increasing subscribers, the governor said parents would present their registration cards before their children will be enrolled in schools, and direct deductions made on contractors’ and others’ pay.

  • Oyo to pay two months salary as workers end strike

    Oyo to pay two months salary as workers end strike

    •Govt to pay two months’ pay

    THE National Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has ordered the suspension of seven weeks indefinite strike embarked upon by Oyo State workers over nonpayment of salaries and allowances.

    It followed the agreement signed between the government and the union’s national leaders.

    The agreement heralded the setting up of a 14-man joint committee two weeks ago to deliberate on how to resolve the industrial impasse.

    The strike was called off after a joint Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the 14-man committee, which include Secretary to the State Government Ishmael Alli, state Chairman of NLC Waheed Olojede, Head of Service Soji Eniade and Commissioner for Finance Abimbola Adekanmbi.

    NLC National Vice-President (Southwest) Comrade Solomon Adelegan called the strike off around 11:15pm on Monday.

    Olojede confirmed the suspension of the strike around 11.30pm on Monday, saying it was based on the agreement among the parties.

    He added that the union’s leadership agreed to suspend the strike because the government had decided to pay two months salaries arrears and to plead with banks not to deduct the debts of workers from the two months salaries to be paid.

    He urged the government to release outstanding promotion letters to workers.

    Olojede said both parties have agreed to keep on negotiating on outstanding issues.

    According to him, the suspension of the strike was considered in the interest of union members.

    The state NLC Secretary, Kofo Ogundeji, said the national leaders of the congress ordered the suspension of the strike based on the agreement with the government.

    The MOU reads:” That the total amount received from the Federation Account for the month of June, 2016 was N2.1 billion and that an additional N1.39 billion, being the first tranche of the budget support facility, was equally received from the Federal Government, bringing the total available sum to N3.495 billion in in the government coffers that could immediately be utilised for payment of salary, wages and pensions of the state workforce.

    “That N3.495 billion, which is readily available, will be immediately disbursed to honour the state’s obligations on salaries, wages and pensions for the month of January 2016. That an appeal be made by the government to banks to grant concerned workers a moratorium of two months on their January and February 2016 salaries and pensions on their debt service obligation.

    “That a letter of apology be tendered to government by principals, teachers and pupils of schools that engaged in the breach of peace and destruction of government properties.

    “That the government withdraws all outstanding litigation against labour. That no worker would be victimised as a result of participation in the industrial action. That the industrial action be suspended forthwith.”

    Chairman of the government/labour committee Alli, who briefed reporters yesterday with Head of Service Soji Eniade and Commissioner for Information Toye Arulogun, said deliberation would continue among the committee members to forestall future industrial impasse.

    He promised that the workers would get their two months’ salaries within the next two weeks.

  • Oyo State workers issue 7-day ultimatum over unpaid salaries

    Organised labour in Oyo State has issued a 7-day ultimatum to Oyo State Government to settle over five months arrears of salaries owed workers.

    The ultimatum was issued on Tuesday in Ibadan by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiation Council (JNC).

    Mr Waheed Olojede, the State NLC Chairman, who spoke at a news conference, said that the 7-day ultimatum would commence on Wednesday, March 30 and lapse on Thursday, April 7.

    He said that the unions had considered the prevailing condition of workers and pensioners with five months unpaid salaries and the failure of government to accede to previous requests.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the government and the unions in 2015 signed a memorandum of understanding on how the salaries would be paid.

    Olojede said that the unions had written to the state government requesting for a meeting, which he claimed the government failed to accept.
    Olojede said that the situation had reduced workers to state of poverty, adding that their productivity, diligence and absolute commitment would be hinged on how the workers were treated.

    “If government fails to meet the leadership of the labour movement in the state, we may not be able to guarantee continued industrial peace beyond the stipulated time,” he said.

     

  • Oyo workers’ salaries will be paid within three months, says Ajimobi

    Oyo workers’ salaries will be paid within three months, says Ajimobi

    Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has assured civil servants in the state that their outstanding salaries would be settled within the next three months.

    The governor gave this promise while addressing journalists in his office.

    Disclosing that he had just approved the sum of N2billion for the payment of junior workers, while fresh funds are being expected within the next few weeks to clear the April salary, Ajimobi further explained that with the state government would have enough funds to clear its debts as soon as the federal government’s appeal to commercial banks to stop all deductions from states’ allocation takes effect.

    The governor confirmed the receipt of about N2.3 billion from the NLNG money shared by all the states of the federation, which he said is not a bailout.

    He said: “I have approved a sum of about N2billion naira for the payment of workers of lower cadre and with the efforts we are making now, I can assure you that within the next three months, the issue of salary would be resolved.”

     

     

    Ajimobi revealed that his trip to the US yielded positive results, as three investors have agreed to invest in Oyo state. He, however, did not disclose the identities of the investors.