Dapo Abiodun meets striking workers

Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun has invited the Organised Labour in the state to a meeting on Wednesday toward resolving the issues that led to indefinite strike by the state workers.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the workers had on Tuesday, following the expiration of seven days ultimatum issued on June 21, asking the state government to address some welfare related issues, began an indefinite strike on Tuesday.

The labour leaders had in a letter, accused the state government of non-remittance of 21 months salary deductions, eight years of unpaid statutory leave allowances and breach of the state Pension Reform Law, 2006 (amended 2013) in the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Odusile, said, “the meeting is expected to discuss all the grievances raised by the workers for embarking on the indefinite strike.”

Odusile explained that the governor had decided to take personal charge of resolving the grouse of the workers, to further demonstrate his administration’s commitment to their welfare and wellbeing.

He quoted the governor as:

“I am personally committed to ensuring an improved welfare of workers in Ogun and will do all that is necessary to achieve this.

“This is workers’ friendly administration and will remain so under my watch.

“One of the first duties I performed on my first day at work as the governor, on May 30, 2019, was to approve the immediate payment of salaries of our workers which were not been paid by the immediate past administration.

“I also made a vow that salaries of workers in the state will be paid on or before the end of each month. We have been doing that religiously ever since.

“Even, in the face of dwindling resources, rising needs and this strike, the salaries are being remitted.”

The governor also said: “I am sure they will start receiving bank credit alerts in the next 24 hours for the month of June.

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“We are one of the few states in country that are not owing workers’ salaries and paying as at when due.

“Whatever issues being raised by the aggrieved workers will be expeditiously addressed.

“Most of their complaints were inherited from the previous administrations, but as a responsive and responsible government, we are tackling them one after the other, even as we are being hampered by paucity of funds.

“The money accruable to us from the federation account and sundry sources have been dwindling for a long time now and this is affecting our ability to meet some of our obligations.

“Even at that, we have been prioritising the interest of our workforce.”

The governor said that he would do everything within available means to address the issues of concern to the workers, urging them to show understanding with the government and call off the strike.