Strike: Ondo govt to meet organized labour to avert strike this week
Dayo Johnson – Akure
Ahead of the strike notice issued to the Ondo state government by the organised labour, parties have agreed to meet and iron out their differences today ( Monday) over accumulated salaries and deductions.
Organized labour in the state had last week issued eight days ultimatum to the government to clear outstanding October salaries and six months deduction or face industrial action.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in a bid to avert the looming industrial action has directed the Head of Service HOS, Dare Aragbaye to meet with the labour leaders on Monday.
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Confirming this weekend, the HOS has assured the Unions of the government’s readiness to interact with them on Monday and also find a lasting solution to the issues raised.
Aragbaye was optimistic that the issues over salaries and deductions would be resolved and the workers would be satisfied.
According to him, the present administration has done excellently well for its entire workforce in the area of salaries and other emoluments since its assumption of office.
He recalled the payment of seven months’ salaries owed to the workers by the immediate past administration by the Akeredolu led administration.
The workers have cried out that the deductions have crippled various cooperative societies in the state public service and the state tertiary institutions
According to them “the state government had failed to honour various previous agreements reached with the state government over their demands on salaries and deductions payment.
The workers said “As it stands today sir, deductions which statutorily is part of salaries stand at 5 months as at September 2020 salary payment. This has left us with a nagging question of what percentage of salaries are we actually collecting as our members contribute varying sums to their respective Cooperative Societies. It has turned all our members into beggars In society.
“That, going forward, gross salary MUST take effect as we say NO to the current mode of payment of salary i.e. Net payment. That, the model adopted by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in salaries payment whenever there is a shortfall in Federal allocation to Local Government and SUBEB be adopted by the State Government since borrowing to augment salaries has become an uphill task.
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“That, a regular State Account Allocation meeting be scheduled to discuss and sort out issues relating to salaries payment. Labour must be represented at the meeting. That, the obnoxious circular released by the office of the Accountant General barring our members from either exiting or reducing their cooperative savings be withdrawn forthwith. It is our personal emolument.
“That, constant information flow between labour and government should be maintained as this will further strengthen and cement the relationship.
“That, we are by this letter giving government up till Friday 27th November 2020 to convene a meeting where these prayers will be looked into with Labour.
They said that ” as we await further action necessary for the guarantee of industrial peace in our dear Sunshine State, we reiterate the fact that ‘there is a limit to human endurance’, our dear Arakunrin.”
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