Oyo Workers Give 24-hour Notice of Strike

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Few days to the end of the administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi in Oyo State, workers in the state yesterday gave a 24-hour notice to commence strike and consequently paralyse government activities.

The workers under the aegis of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in a statement made available to journalists also catalogued what it called the ‘un-doings’ of the outgoing All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Ajimobi.

The state Chairman of NLC, Bayo Titlola-Sodo, had last Wednesday night given a hint of the impending strike while hosting journalists to ‘Iftar’ (breaking of fast) at the NULGE secretariat in Ibadan.

According to him, “No government should treat workers as slaves. Let there be justice on how we relate with fellow citizens. A number of teething issues had been on ground since 2011 when the outgoing government came to power.”

The NLC chairman, who lauded the federal government on the directives to the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on local government allocations, was quick to add that the state government had usurped the powers of the local government for too long.

He also said there was no excuse for any state government not to pay the new minimum wage of N30, 000 recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, few hours after Titilola-Sodo stated that the union was not getting favourable response from its negotiations with the outgoing government on a number of unresolved issues including how to end the ongoing primary school teachers’ strike, the labour leaders released a statement, giving ultimatum of a 24-hour strike notice to commence 12 noon today.

Part of the demands in a two-page statement jointly signed by the state NLC Secretary, Mohamed Ibrahim, and the Secretary of Joint Negotiating Council, Lukman Balogun, after a meeting of all public service union in the state, included payment of at least one month arrear of salary to some local government workers.

Those affected and said to be at the receiving end are council workers in Lagelu, Egbeda, Ogbomoso North and South, Surulere and Ibadan North West Local Government Areas.

The statement stated further that the state government should pay the remaining arrears of salary to health workers under the umbrella of JOHESU, and the immediate enhancement of security within the state hospital at Ring Road, Ibadan.

The union also appealed to the governing board of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital to reinstate the sacked workers at the hospital and release letter of promotion up to 2016 for workers as being enjoyed by other sectors in the state.

It however said if all the above demands were not met within 24 hours, “the leadership of all unions in the public service in the state shall not be able to guarantee industrial peace and harmony in the state from May 24, 2019.”

The statement also acknowledged the commitment of the state government to the welfare of workers which include upgrading of the directorate cadre from grade level 16 to grade level 17 in tandem with the scheme of service in the Federal Civil Service level; lifting embargo placed on lateral conversion and transfer across all cadre in the public service and immediate payment of May, 2019 salary/pension to all workers and pensioners in the state.