Truce was brokered between Governor Seyi Makinde and the leadership of the labour centres, on Sunday evening, with the governor also yielding to the workers’ demand by publicly addressing them at the State Secretariat, on Monday morning.
Activities at the State Secretariat had been paralysed throughout last week with the protesting workers blockading the entrances and exits to the Secretariat demanding that the governor address them over their demands.
A cause championed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the workers demanded payment of salary deductions, palliatives for workers, upward review of pension allowances, payment of leave bonus, payment of gratuities to retirees who had been stagnated since the year 2021 and release of promotion letters for the Year 2021 and 2022.
The governor had broken the ice on Saturday night when he made a broadcast promising to pay the two months deductions owed the workers with their August salary, while asking the labour unions to come to the negotiation table on the other issues.
Saturday’s broadcast was to be followed by a meeting on Sunday between the governor and the leadership of the labour centres, with the governor said to have given a timeline to addressing some of the demands while committing to addressing others in due course.
Giving an update on the consensus reached with the governor, Oyo NLC Chairman, Mr Martins Kayode, on Monday, said the governor had promised payment of two months salary deductions alongside the August salary, saying the process of paying four months salary deductions was said to have commenced in the wake of last week’s protest.
On promotion arrears, Martins said the promotion letters was said to be in the process of being typed with last week’s protest said to have hampered further printing of the letters.
On payment of gratuities to retirees stagnated since the year 2021, the NLC leader said the union extracted commitment that its payment will commence from the end of August.
On palliatives for pensioners and workers, Martins said the governor had invited the labour to the negotiation table on this, while welcoming other demands that will enhance government/labour relationship in the State.
Martins said: “He has attended to some of our agitations and gave us his word that we should resume to the table to negotiate for the remaining parts.
“On salary deductions of six months, he said they had worked out the payment of four months deductions and promised to pay the remaining two months, at the end of the month, and would ensure no more issue of owing deductions.
“They also said promotion letters are being typed and that the protest hampered further printing of the letters.
“They also promised that gratuity will be paid from the end of this month.
“The governor said palliatives for pensioners and residents of the state are in the broadcast and for that of workers, he asked to come to the table to discuss.”
Addressing the workers at the State Secretariat on Monday morning, Makinde said he apologised to the labour unions just as the labour unions apologised to him for the one week impasse that stalled government activities for a week.
He said he was committed to, henceforth, close gaps with the labour centres that would prevent a repeat of last week’s impasse.
In showing commitment to addressing the demands of the labour centres and closing gaps going forward, Makinde committed to quarterly meetings between labour and government.
He lamented that the one week stall in activities at the state secretariat had a negative impact on the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Makinde said: “I have engaged with your leaders. They apologised that some of these shouldn’t have happened. I also apologized to them that our state is paramount.
“Governors will come and go but our state will remain. We have no where else to call home. I told them that when I did the broadcast, I made it in annoyance especially the part that concerns labour.
“I was angry because I also need encouragement. You are supposed to encourage me. You praise me to get more. There are some who don’t want the progress of the state and will come in between you.
“I promise that every quarter we will have parley with labour leadership. The gap between labour and government, we will ensure we close it.
“For the past one week, it has been a loss to the state, you can see it in the Internal Revenue of the state. We need money to do most of the things you ask for. In any human relationship, there will be friction, but we are meant to resolve the impasse. The impasse is over, we are one.
“Go back to your offices, we will meet your leadership to resolve the issues and they will get back to you.”
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