Labour to Oyo govt: Don’t coerce workers to accept 60% salary

• Nobody discussed 60% salary payment, it’s betrayal — Govt

LABOUR centres in Oyo State have objected to recent meetings between heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, government’s functionaries and civil servants, noting that the meetings were aimed at convincing workers to accept 60 per cent salary.

The union, in a statement, noted that the ongoing meetings involving Permanent Secretaries/Directors, commissioners and civil servants, on payment of salary/pensions, contravened ethics of industrial labour relationship,

In the statement, signed by the state chairman, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Waheed Olojede; his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Mr Andrew Emelieze and Chairman, Joint Negotiating Council, Mr Olusola Ogundiran, the labour centres urged the state government not to coerce workers into accepting 50 or 60 per cent salary proposition.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, JNC Chairman, Ogundiran said the labour movement maintained its stand that the state government should continue to access the budget support facility monthly coupled with the federal allocation to pay workers, with the hope that the financial situation of the state would improve.

He said the state government offered to receive the entire budget support facility upfront to defray the outstanding salaries which the labour movement declined, arguing that the entire sum was inadequate to clear the backlog and would also further hamper payment of salaries.

“The government sent commissioners, permanent secretaries to workers to deliver the message of being paid 60 per cent of their monthly salary and our members insisted on receiving full salary. Ethics of industrial labour relationship does not permit such interaction. These workers have their representatives but government goes behind the union to discuss with them.

“All our members in the teaching service under the aegis of Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, including those working in Ministries, Department and Agencies, insisted on receiving full salary. We are not interested in the Osun and Ogun states experience,” Ogundiran said.

Meanwhile, Secretary to the State Government, Mr Olalekan Alli, has said the meetings between government functionaries, heads of MDAs and workers did not centre on just salary and pension but also addressed issues of verification, restructuring, security, personnel policies and improving the economy of the state.

Alluding to continuous interactions between the state government and the labour movement, Alli said the government did not offer a 60 per cent salary proposition as stated by the labour movement.

Noting the existence of a committee to deliberate on the issue, he said the labour movement’s statement betrayed government’s trust and was capable of inciting workers against government.

Alli, however, stated that the state government was considering several options to clear the backlog of salary, and would boldly inform the people if it had reached a decision.

Alli said: “Every MDA head was saddled with the responsibility to interact with their respective staff on not just the issue of salary and pension but also on other issues like verification, restructuring. We have been discussing with labour on the state, global economy, national economy, security, personnel policies, restructuring and our attempts to improve the economy of the state.

“Nobody has talked to them about 60 per cent salary payment. We have been meeting with them and it remains an interaction between us and them. Until labour and government take a decision on an issue, we won’t come to public to say this is the situation. We shouldn’t just be misinforming the public for whatever reasons.”