Strike paralyse govt business in Ogun

•Amosun urges work resumption

The indefinite strike ordered by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNC) in Ogun State yesterday paralysed activities at the state secretariat, Oke – Mosan, Abeokuta.

Civil servants stayed away from work and pupils who went to school returned home early as there were no teachers to attend to them.

At the two entrances leading to the secretariat, JNC representatives were seen with public address system, asking visitors and some workers to go back home.

The workers are protesting the alleged failure of the government to honour the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it signed with tripartite labour unions in January

But the government said it is committed to workers’ welfare and urged the striking civil servants and doctors to return to work.

In a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, the government wondered what the real motive of the striking workers was and whose interest they were serving in calling the ill-advised and obviously unpopular strike.

“We are at a loss as to what this small and unpopular group of workers really want to achieve as Ogun is one of the few states paying salaries promptly.

“Despite the current financial crisis in the country, all workers have received February salary.

“Despite the fact that Ogun is one of the states that receives the least allocation from the Federation Account, it pays the highest wages to workers in Nigeria.

“It is the only state that implemented the minimum wage. Therefore, what the government expects from its workforce is understanding rather than an industrial action,” he stated.

“The few misguided striking workers are simply playing the ostrich and pushing an insensitive argument which seems to suggest that the resources of a state with a population of over seven million people (7 million) should be totally devoted to the payment and comfort of civil servants whose population is less than fifty thousand (50,000).

“The government therefore warns this group of few, uncooperative workers to henceforth desist from physically preventing the vast majority of its workforce who turn up for work and are willing to continue with their lawful duties.

“The government would continue to offset the outstanding deductions and gratuities of civil servants, within available resources and look into the requests of the striking general practitioner doctors.

“On the Contributory Pension Scheme, which the striking workers want government to abolish, the scheme is governed by an extant law and could only be amended or repealed by the House of Assembly.”

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