Ogun Workers Give Strike Notice Over Minimum Wage

Labour unions in Ogun State have given Governor Dapo Abiodun a 14-day ultimatum to pay the negotiated new minimum wage or be ready for a total strike action.

The unions threatened to embak on an indefinite strike at the expiration of the ultimatumm if the governor did not address the issue.

The unions also lamented the non remitance of pension contributions deducted from their pay to their pension fund administrators .

The workers gave the ultimatum in a letter written to the governor.

The letter dated September 2, was jointly signed by the State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Bankole Emmanuel; the Vice Chairman of Trade Union Congress, Akeem Lasisi; the Chairman and the Secretary of Joint Negotiation Council, Folorunso Olarewaju and Adebiyi Olusegun respectively.

The workers said the state government was not sincere in the way it was handling some of the issues, saying they might be forced to take the option of strike if nothing was done about this.

The statement reads, “It is quite obvious that the state government has chosen to situate the welfare of its employees to the sphere of afterthoughts. Nothing could capture this our stance better than the deliberate distancing of policies that clearly would have improved workers lot.

“Viewed dispassionately, we hold the belief that the state government has no clear cut roadmap for solving any issue (s) or matter (s) that bother (s) on its personnel welfare.

“We, therefore, request of the state government to, without further delay, set the machinery in motion to address all of the items within fourteen (14) days from the date above failing which the State organised labour will call out its members for full industrial action.

“The state organised labour has demonstrated enough maturity and respect to the development and growth of the state. It is now the turn of the government to reciprocate.”

But Special Adviser to the governor on Public Communications, Remmy Hazzan, said the state government was seriously committed to paying the minimum wage.

Hazzan said, “The issue of the new minimum wage is not contentious, it’s been agreed and the state government has said that it is already committed to paying on that date.

“We as a state are committed to any promise we have made in every single sector including the welfare of the workers. We are not a government of empty promises. “