Ogun civil servants begin strike

Governor Ibikunle Amosun

Barring any last-minute intervention from the state government, civil servants in Ogun State, under the umbrella of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, will on Tuesday (today) begin a three-day warning strike.

The council, last Friday, had directed its members to proceed on a three-day warning strike from Tuesday (today) over the failure of government to remit N2.8bn deducted from their salaries to the appropriate agencies.

The directive for them to proceed on this strike was given by the JNC’s secretary, Mr. Modiu Bello, at a press briefing held at Iwe Iroyin, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta.

The warning strike ends on Thursday.

Bello, who was in company with other officials of different unions under the council, said the workers resorted to embark on the action following the failure of dialogue.

He added that the three-day warning strike by public servants “is to drive home our demands” for the remittance of the four-month deductions made from their October, November, December and January salaries.

Bello said, “Sequel to the refusal of the state government to accede to the demand of workers in the state public service over the unpaid four-month deductions made from our salaries of October, November, December 2014 and January 2015, the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, on behalf of the state public servants hereby issue a 3-day warning strike effective from 10th Tuesday to 12th Thursday, 2015 to drive home their demand.

“The JNC is constrained to take this action since every known channel of negotiation/dialogue have proved abortive. At a meeting held on Friday, February 20 2015, government officials informed labour of plans to pay two months deductions in addition to February 2015 salaries owing to paucity of funds.

“Labour (Nigeria Labour Congress), however, insisted that the arrears of deductions covering the mentioned months be fully paid before the payment of February 2015 salary to ameliorate the sufferings of workers in the state who continue to find it increasingly difficult to meet their basic family needs, given that the objective of subscribing to some of these savings have been defeated arising from these unpaid deductions.”