Organised labour in Ogun State vowed to continue with the indefinite strike action embarked upon since Monday, July 14, 2025, following the stalemate that greeted their meeting with Governor Dapo Abiodun, on Friday.
The labour unions declared that the strike action would continue as long as the state government has failed to accede to their demands.
Among their demands, the labour unions were asking for “outright cancellation of the dysfunctional Contributory Pension Scheme”, or postponement of its commencement date to year 2042 as recommended by the Adekunle Hassan-led Committee.
In a letter forwarded to the state governor, the organised labour stated that the thrust of their displeasure, which centered on the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), was not properly addressed by the governor.
Rising from its emergency meeting held Friday morning, the organised labour said the “Council-in-session resolved that its initial take of the Congress as contained in its letter of Monday, 14th July, 2025 stands”.
In the letter, dated Friday 18th July, 2025 and signed by state chairmen and secretaries of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) and that of 13 other affiliates unions, the Ogun State workers added that, “The prayer of the entirety of the State and Local Governments Civil/Public Servants is the outright cancellation of the dysfunctional Contributory Pension Scheme, or its commencement date to 2042 as recommended by the Adekunle Hassan-led Committee”.
LEADERSHIP recalled that the workers had premised their anger against the state government on the ground of its failure to remit the Contributory Pension Scheme, non implementation of the new minimum wage (2024), vis a vis its Consequential Adjustments; non-payment of arrears of leave allowance, non-implementation of the Consequential Adjustments on Pension, as well as the non-release of promotion of staff for year 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile in their letter, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent, the labour said its council-in-session, at the emergency meeting, discussed extensively on each of the items with indepth evaluation of the offer(s) of the Ogun State Government on them.
“It should be noted that items (ii – v) have been accepted by the generality of the State workforce,” they said.
LEADERSHIP also recalled that Governor Abiodun met with labour leaders on Wednesday and Thursday but the meetings ended in deadlock.
The deadlock followed the insistence of the labour unions on what they termed implementation of “dysfunctional Contributory Pension Scheme”.
Earlier on Friday, Governor Abiodun had promised that his administration will commence full implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme for the state workers from the end of July.
Abiodun said the CPS and other sundry matters that led to the ongoing strike action by the state workers would receive immediate payment, particularly for workers, who retire from July 2, 2025, through the scheme.
The governor indicated that a 10-year payment plan would commence from 2025 to 2030 under the first phase, while the second phase, which would commence next year, would be from 2030 to 2035.
With that arrangement, Abiodun also assured that payment would be made for the remaining two years of his tenure, while his successors will pay for the remaining eight years.
“What is key is that we have decided that in phase one, we will pay outstanding contributions for retirees who have retired from July 2, 2025, to July 2030. We will make that immediate payment.
“Next year, we will make the second payment, which will be phase 2, for those who will be retiring from July 2, 2030, to July 1, 2035.
“We will be making immediate payments for those who will be retiring beyond my tenure in 2027 and beyond the tenure of my successor as well; that is 10 years.
“There will be no gratuity scheme as this will be discontinued from July 2, 2025. All Consolidated Salaries will revert back to the Contributory Pension Scheme.
“A lot of work has gone into this. In the past, we found that those who have been managing our pensions were not actually the right fit for purpose; they were not qualified, and that has made things slower than they should have been.
“Anyone retiring will receive their benefits, and we will provide PENCOM with the resources to ensure that they meet the obligations of those who retire, and that will be done promptly.
“We will pass the appropriate laws to back this decision,” Governor Abiodun said.
