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Civil Servants Begin Strike In Ogun, Osun, Ebonyi States
Civil servants who are being owed up to five month salaries have begun a three-day warning strike in Ogun, Osun and Ebonyi states which is slowing down government activities in the states.
According to the Daily Independent, the leadership of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC) ordered civil servants In Ogun State to stay away from their official duty posts to prevail on the state government to pay their co-operative and pension deductions.
It was reported that at the main gate of the state Secretariat at Oke Mosan in Abeokuta, some officials of the association were seen turning workers back home to enforce the directive.
The officials disclosed that they had earlier locked the main gate but the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, broke the lock and opened the gate to allow any worker who wished to enter the office.
The Ogun state Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, told newsmen that the warning strike came as a surprise, claiming the government was not notified.
She said the sharp fall in the allocations accruing to the state was the best possibleexplaination that the state government was having difficulty to remit the deductions. Mrs. Adekunle, however, stated that the state government was looking for means of raising funds to settle the deductions.
She however expressed hope that the deductions would be paid before the week runs out.
The chairman of JNC in the state, Modiu Bello, remarked that the warning strike became necessary because the state government failed to honour the agreement reached with the labour leadership on February 20, 2015 that instead of paying the February salary, the four months unpaid deductions should be paid and later the February salary would be paid.
He said “the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led government was owing the workers five months’ co-operative deductions and 29 months pension deductions.
“The state government had defaulted in paying its own counterpart funding of the pension deductions and had not remitted the fund to the pension managers,” he stated.
In Osun, public workers on Tuesday staged a protest over delay in the payment of their salaries and allowances.
Connections have yet to be made to remarks made by President Goodluck Jonathan when he visited the state traditional rulers; asking the workers to demand for their salaries from the state government reiterating that the Federal Government was paying as and when due.
The workers staged protest round the streets of Osogbo demanding for immediate payment of their salaries and allowances by the state government, insisting that their colleagues were languishing over non-payment of salaries running to five months in the state. They barricaded the popular Orita-Olaiya junction preventing motorists from moving freely.
Carrying various placards of various inscriptions, the workers were seen chanting various anti-government songs to express their dissatisfaction over the delay in the salaries.
Led by Akinyemi Olatunji, they explained that government has also failed to pay their contribution to the pension scheme.
“Officers who are due for promotion since 2013 were not given their promotions, while our leave allowances from 2013 till today were not paid.” Olatunji is quoted as saying.
Olatunji who also flayed the government for delaying pension, added that “even those that were forced to retire since 2012, who are not ripe for retirement, did so because of the new pension law.”
He explained that the government also refused to pay their entitlements now running to six months.
“It is very saddened that 98 of them have died and that has been the agony we are passing through under this regime,” he lamented.
He however appealed to government to address the issue, saying “none of our demand has been implemented despite all meetings and negotiations.”
But in swift reaction, the Osun State Government said that the salaries issues in the state cannot be divorced from the revenue crisis hitting the nation.
A statement issued and signed Governor Aregbesola’s aide, Semiu Okanlawon, denied the allegation that the state was owing five months’ salaries.
It said that the state government was owing just three months and pleaded with the workers to show understanding over the matter.
Meanwhile in Abaliki, economic activities were halted, on Tuesday as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters marched through the major streets in support of President Goodluck Jonathan/ Nnamadi Sambo second term bid, the PDP candidates in the state while they protested the Labour Party’s efforts to stop the impeachment process of the state governor, Chief Martin Elechi.
The PDP faithful, numbering over 19,000 carried posters of President Jonathan, those of the Ebonyi PDP governorship candidate, Dave Umahi, whose Divine Mandate Campaign Organisation (DMCO) was visibly present with over 67 buses, ambulance of the DMCO behind the supporters.
The rally which coincided with commencement of the workers’ strike in the state attracted the striking workers, as they joined PDP faithful with the pro-Jonathan, Umahi’s rally against Elechi, whom they alleged to have maltreated them for the past seven and a half years over his refusal to pay the minimum wage and September 2011 salaries.
The supporters called for Elechi’s impeachment noting that the governor was the cause of the political crisis in the state because of his “solitary and archaic” style of administration.
The group noted that they were in support of Elechi’s impeachment and urged that the state House of Assembly should be allowed and supported to discharge its duties and functions without fear or favour.
It was also gathered that government activities were grounded as offices were under heavy lock and key and no worker was seen within the offices.
Meanwhile in Lagos, the public would from next Monday experience a shutdown of government hospitals unless the state government shifts its ground and pays all outstanding salaries owed its doctors due to previous strikes,
The The threat to embark on an indefinite strike from Monday March 16 was issued on Tuesday by the Guild of Doctors in a notice signed by its chairman, Dr Biyi Kufo.
According to the press statement, the chairman noted that since the doctors called off the last 3-day warning strike on January 20, government had not shown “little in terms of a positive response” to their requests.
He said this led to a review of the situation at a general meeting of the Guild last Wednesday and following deliberations, a 10-day grace period was given to the administration to resolve the issues.
“The house directed that, if resolution was not achieved at the end of this period, members of the Guild should proceed on an indefinite strike from Monday the 16th of March, 2015.The house also directed that emergency services be provided during the action”, Kufo was quoted as saying by Daily Independent.
The chairman of the Guild pointed out that the issues in contention include: “the continued employment of doctors as casual (contract) workers; the non-employment of resident doctors in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH); and the discriminatory application of the state’s ‘no work, no pay’ policy to members of the Medical Guild in the period between April/May 2012 and September 2014”.
It will be recalled that the Nasarawa State government, in order to pay salaries and avoid strikes, secured a N500 million bank facility to pay February salary of workers in the state
According to the Daily Independent, the leadership of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC) ordered civil servants In Ogun State to stay away from their official duty posts to prevail on the state government to pay their co-operative and pension deductions.
It was reported that at the main gate of the state Secretariat at Oke Mosan in Abeokuta, some officials of the association were seen turning workers back home to enforce the directive.
The officials disclosed that they had earlier locked the main gate but the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, broke the lock and opened the gate to allow any worker who wished to enter the office.
The Ogun state Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, told newsmen that the warning strike came as a surprise, claiming the government was not notified.
She said the sharp fall in the allocations accruing to the state was the best possibleexplaination that the state government was having difficulty to remit the deductions. Mrs. Adekunle, however, stated that the state government was looking for means of raising funds to settle the deductions.
She however expressed hope that the deductions would be paid before the week runs out.
The chairman of JNC in the state, Modiu Bello, remarked that the warning strike became necessary because the state government failed to honour the agreement reached with the labour leadership on February 20, 2015 that instead of paying the February salary, the four months unpaid deductions should be paid and later the February salary would be paid.
He said “the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led government was owing the workers five months’ co-operative deductions and 29 months pension deductions.
“The state government had defaulted in paying its own counterpart funding of the pension deductions and had not remitted the fund to the pension managers,” he stated.
In Osun, public workers on Tuesday staged a protest over delay in the payment of their salaries and allowances.
Connections have yet to be made to remarks made by President Goodluck Jonathan when he visited the state traditional rulers; asking the workers to demand for their salaries from the state government reiterating that the Federal Government was paying as and when due.
The workers staged protest round the streets of Osogbo demanding for immediate payment of their salaries and allowances by the state government, insisting that their colleagues were languishing over non-payment of salaries running to five months in the state. They barricaded the popular Orita-Olaiya junction preventing motorists from moving freely.
Carrying various placards of various inscriptions, the workers were seen chanting various anti-government songs to express their dissatisfaction over the delay in the salaries.
Led by Akinyemi Olatunji, they explained that government has also failed to pay their contribution to the pension scheme.
“Officers who are due for promotion since 2013 were not given their promotions, while our leave allowances from 2013 till today were not paid.” Olatunji is quoted as saying.
Olatunji who also flayed the government for delaying pension, added that “even those that were forced to retire since 2012, who are not ripe for retirement, did so because of the new pension law.”
He explained that the government also refused to pay their entitlements now running to six months.
“It is very saddened that 98 of them have died and that has been the agony we are passing through under this regime,” he lamented.
He however appealed to government to address the issue, saying “none of our demand has been implemented despite all meetings and negotiations.”
But in swift reaction, the Osun State Government said that the salaries issues in the state cannot be divorced from the revenue crisis hitting the nation.
A statement issued and signed Governor Aregbesola’s aide, Semiu Okanlawon, denied the allegation that the state was owing five months’ salaries.
It said that the state government was owing just three months and pleaded with the workers to show understanding over the matter.
Meanwhile in Abaliki, economic activities were halted, on Tuesday as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters marched through the major streets in support of President Goodluck Jonathan/ Nnamadi Sambo second term bid, the PDP candidates in the state while they protested the Labour Party’s efforts to stop the impeachment process of the state governor, Chief Martin Elechi.
The PDP faithful, numbering over 19,000 carried posters of President Jonathan, those of the Ebonyi PDP governorship candidate, Dave Umahi, whose Divine Mandate Campaign Organisation (DMCO) was visibly present with over 67 buses, ambulance of the DMCO behind the supporters.
The rally which coincided with commencement of the workers’ strike in the state attracted the striking workers, as they joined PDP faithful with the pro-Jonathan, Umahi’s rally against Elechi, whom they alleged to have maltreated them for the past seven and a half years over his refusal to pay the minimum wage and September 2011 salaries.
The supporters called for Elechi’s impeachment noting that the governor was the cause of the political crisis in the state because of his “solitary and archaic” style of administration.
The group noted that they were in support of Elechi’s impeachment and urged that the state House of Assembly should be allowed and supported to discharge its duties and functions without fear or favour.
It was also gathered that government activities were grounded as offices were under heavy lock and key and no worker was seen within the offices.
Meanwhile in Lagos, the public would from next Monday experience a shutdown of government hospitals unless the state government shifts its ground and pays all outstanding salaries owed its doctors due to previous strikes,
The The threat to embark on an indefinite strike from Monday March 16 was issued on Tuesday by the Guild of Doctors in a notice signed by its chairman, Dr Biyi Kufo.
According to the press statement, the chairman noted that since the doctors called off the last 3-day warning strike on January 20, government had not shown “little in terms of a positive response” to their requests.
He said this led to a review of the situation at a general meeting of the Guild last Wednesday and following deliberations, a 10-day grace period was given to the administration to resolve the issues.
“The house directed that, if resolution was not achieved at the end of this period, members of the Guild should proceed on an indefinite strike from Monday the 16th of March, 2015.The house also directed that emergency services be provided during the action”, Kufo was quoted as saying by Daily Independent.
The chairman of the Guild pointed out that the issues in contention include: “the continued employment of doctors as casual (contract) workers; the non-employment of resident doctors in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH); and the discriminatory application of the state’s ‘no work, no pay’ policy to members of the Medical Guild in the period between April/May 2012 and September 2014”.
It will be recalled that the Nasarawa State government, in order to pay salaries and avoid strikes, secured a N500 million bank facility to pay February salary of workers in the state
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