Labour: Oyo Gov, Makinde Seeks Home-grown Solution

•Inaugurates ad hoc committee

Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, yesterday, inaugurated an 11-member adhoc inter-ministerial committee on the harmonisation of various demands by labour unions in the state, even as he charged them to come up with homegrown solutions on issues bordering on workers’ welfare in the state.

The governor, while performing the inauguration at the Executive Chamber, Agodi, Ibadan, also called on the members of the committee to be open-minded.

Tasking the committee, headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Olanike Adeyemo, he said they should also come up with a report on the modalities for the implementation of workers’ demands.

The committee was given a six-week time frame to complete its assignment.

Makinde stated that his administration had been proactive in attending to the demands of labour unions and workers, a development he noted had promoted a cordial relationship and helped the government to deliver several development projects in the state.

The governor commended the labour leaders for  their cooperation and sense of understanding, dating back to 2019/2020, when the state successfully negotiated the new minimum wage and consequential adjustment and other modalities for workers’ welfare.

According to him, the responsibility of attending to the welfare of the people should rest with states, as the implementation of labour agreements has always been more proactive in Oyo State compared to the federal level.

“Let me thank the labour leaders for coming to the table and I am optimistic that we can have our own home-grown solution. We have done this before in 2019,when we had a negotiation on minimum wage and consequential adjustment. We came together and Oyo State became one of the first states to actually reach a landing. That is the position till this recent crisis we are facing.

“In terms of the welfare of the workers in Oyo State, we have been very proactive as a state. The backlog of promotions and all sorts of arrears that we met were tackled headlong. With time, we have had cooperation from the labour union leaders and that has allowed the government to function properly and to go after the developmental activities that we are trying to carry out on behalf of the people of Oyo State.”