Non-payment of salary deductons: Ogun workers give govt 21-day ultimatum

Workers in the employ of Ogun State under the auspices of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JCN ), has issued a 21-day ultimatum, to the state government over the non-payment of workers’ deductions in the last 12 months.

The body, in a statement issued at the end of the extra ordinary state executive councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and JCN meeting, held on Thursday, in Abeokuta, said the action of the state government in withholding of workers’ deduction was a deliberate and destructive effort to pauperize the workers in the state workforce.

The statement signed by the chairmen of TUC, NLC and JNC, Comrades Olubunmi Fajobi,  Akeem Ambali and Abiodun Olakanmi, respectively added that workers were owed 12 months of union check-off dues; co-operative dedications and First Bank loans; accumulating unpaid gratuities of retirees which was last paid in October, 2012; 16 months of unpaid workers of the state owned Tai Solarin College of Education and crippling of local due to abolition of Joint Account on Allocation Committee.

The resolution of the meeting was that the state government should address all the matters raised by the workers within the next 21 days to avoid industrial action.

It said, ” The meeting viewed the actions of the state government of Ogun State as deliberate and destructive effort to pauperize the workers in the state public service tending to cripple the activities of industrial unions and ultimately gain the undue advantage over the various issues bedeviling the state workforce.

“Consequently, the meeting affirmed that time was right that deliberate and systematic chains of the reactions over the issues as outlined above be vigorously pursued . It was unanimously agreed at the meeting that 21 days ultimatum should be given to the state government to address the above stated agitations, commencing from September 29th.”