Ogun Workers Begin Indefinite Strike Over 21-month Unremitted Salary Deductions

Workers in Ogun State have declared an indefinite strike to compel the state government effect payment of their unremitted salary deductions spanning a period of 21 months as well as non-payment of eight years statutory leave allowances.

The industrial action declared yesterday followed the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum earlier issued to the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to urgently attend to the state workers’ welfare, which they said he had been grossly insensitive to.

The workers, under the aegis of the leadership of the organised labour that comprises the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC), all stormed the arcade ground of the state secretariat complex in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, where they chanted solidarity songs against the state government.

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The workers berated Governor Abiodun, whom they said reneged on honouring the agreement contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) jointly agreed to in 2020, stressing that he had breached the State Pension Reform Law, 2006 (as amended 2013) in the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme amongst other demands.

The state NLC chairman, Emmanuel Bankole, who declared the strike, said the industrial action became inevitable following several unsuccessful attempts to dialogue with the governor over the sorry plight of Ogun workers despite the about seven correspondences forwarded to him without any response.

Flanked by the TUC state chairman, Akeem Lasisi, and that of the JNC, Isa Olude, Bankole directed all the workers in the employ of the state government to stay away from work as the strike, which took effect from 12a.m Tuesday morning (today) would be total and indefinite until their demands were met by the governor.

“We are here today to take our destiny in our own hands. The leadership is ready. We must start a new beginning, we must tell them (government) that we are workers and we are not slaves. The time is now, a stop must be put to this.

“Our futures and the futures of the workers of Ogun State are in great jeopardy. Governance is a serious business and whoever that is not ready for it, I think it is time we tell such person to go home.’’