Ogun State Workers Resume Duty After Suspension of Strike

As Ogun state workers resume duty today, after four day strike, the organized labour has thrown more light on the agreement signed with the state government to suspend the strike.

Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the state, Akeem Lasisi, in a release says the strike was only suspended and not called off.

The strike, according to him, will resume if the state government reneges on the terms of the memorandum of understanding it signed with the organized labour last Thursday.

According to him, the terms of the MOU was the best the labour could get from the state government for now.

He lists the terms of the Mou as including the payment of the reintroduction of payment of gross salaries as from July, 2022 ending all the issues of salaries deductions.

Also, the state government promises to release 1.5 billion naira within the next 30 days out of the 21 months deduction arrears, while spreading the balance of 5.2 billion naira over six months, not later than December 31.

On the backlogs of the contributory pension scheme, it will be offset with the immediate harmonization of the debt, while an ad-hoc committee will be set up within two weeks to work out the modalities for its payment.

The state government also agreed to increase the quarterly payment of 500 million naira for the clearance of the over 60 billion naira gratuity as from the third quarter of this year

On the arrears of leave allowance, it will be harmonized with the monthly salaries, but a committee is to be set up to determine the financial implications of implementing it.

Also, it was agreed that the 2021/2022 promotion exercise of Ogun state workers will be revisited at a later scheduled meeting.

Meanwhile, Ogun state government has promised to honor all the terms in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it signed with the organized labour to end the four day old strike by Ogun state civil servants.

Governor Dapo Abiodun made the pledge in a condolence message sent to the organized labour, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the family of a labour leader, who died during a scuffle at the secretariat of Nigeria Labour Congress in Abeokuta.

Sunday Ogunjinmi, a member of NUT in the Odeda local government area had slumped and died, during the violent attack by workers on labour leaders at the NLC secretariat, Abeokuta, over the signing of the MOU to stop the strike.

The governor in a statement by the head of the state civil service, Doctor Nafiu Aigoro, said the death of the Ogunjinmi, was a big loss to his immediate family, the organized labour and the state at large.

Abiodun also prayed that God will grant him an eternal rest, and comfort his family, colleagues and associates.