Strike: NLC warns Amosun against implementing ‘no work, no pay’

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, against implementing his threat of ‘no work, no pay’ on the striking workers in the state. The congress also described the arrest and detention of labour leaders by the state governor for fighting for their legitimate rights as undemocratic and condemnable. Deputy […]

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, against implementing his threat of ‘no work, no pay’ on the striking workers in the state.
The congress also described the arrest and detention of labour leaders by the state governor for fighting for their legitimate rights as undemocratic and condemnable.
Deputy president of NLC, Comrade Kiri Mohammed, who also doubles as the national president of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), said the governor should understand that an agreement freely entered with the workers should not be jettisoned.
Kiri  advised  the governor not to implement the principle of ‘no work, no pay’ since the workers’ strike was legitimate. He said the workers were on strike due to the  failure of the state government to pay full salaries for seven months now.
“Paying net salaries and leaving ‎gross thereby withholding tax deductions, co-operatives, contributing pensions, check-off dues which are part of the salaries were an aberration.
“The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council discovered that the bone of contention that led to the strike was failure of the state government to implement the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the leadership of Ogun State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade union side) on the intervention of the chiefs and respected elders in the state.
“It also noted that the state ‎government has persistently failed to remit its percentage share of the contributing pension and the deductions from workers salaries to the Pension Fund Administrators as provided in the 2004 Pension Act as amended.
“Council also observed that despite the bailout fund Ogun State received from the federal government to offset backlog of arrears of salaries owed to workers, the state government could only pay June 2015 salary in full.”
He warned that state governments withholding workers salaries would be resisted.