Ogun workers suspend strike after MoU with govt
The government had prevailed on labour to return to negotiation.
In the aftermath, labour leaders addressed a crowd of workers at Arcade Ground, with the State Secretariat.
Workers in Ogun have called off a strike they started on Wednesday to protest the state’s failure to implement the new minimum wage.
Nigerian Labour Congress and the state government reached an agreement to end the strike.
The government had prevailed on labour to return to negotiation.
Labour said it had secured the government’s commitment to its demands, including commitment to begin implementing the new minimum wage next month.
Among the demands are unpaid contributory Pension Scheme, totalling 134 months deducted from workers and unremitted; non promotion of staff since 2018 and unpaid leave allowances to all employees, both of the State and of the Local Governments since 2015.
The state governor Dapo Abiodun had said his government inherited a N106 billion welfare debt from the previous government and could not meet the N35 billion required to implement the new minimum wage.
“We want to call on our members across the State that we have been able to get the commitment of the government as to their welfare matters, hence the strike is hereby called off,” chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress in Ogun, Emmanuel Bankole, said.
Speaking further on the MoU, the NLC Chairman said the state government agreed to earmark N500million for the clearance of gratuity on quarterly basis while payment would commence by January 2021.
He equally disclosed that the government agreed to commence the process of the outstanding 2018, 2019 and 2020 promotion exercise immediately.
Government representatives at the meeting were, Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi; Head of Service, Mrs Selmot Ottun; Chief of Staff, Shuaib Salisu; Commissioner for finance, Dapo Okubadejo, Special Adviser on Public Communications, Remmy Hazzan, among others.
In his address, the SSG said MoU was the reflection of amicable resolutions reached by the parties.
He said both parties shifted grounds despite their constraints and differences to resolve the industrial dispute in the interest of the state.