Osun Workers Resume As Govt. Commences Payment Of Salaries Owed

Osun State workers yesterday signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
state government to put an end to their six-week
industrial action.
Following a meeting with government
representatives at the Governor’s Office in
Osogbo, Labour leaders called on civil servants
in the state to resume work today.
The MoU was signed by the State government,
the Joint Public Service Negotiating Councils
(JPSNC), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and
the Trade Union Congress (TUC), of Osun.
However, Council of Academic Staff Unions of
Osun State-owned Tertiary Institutions
(CASUOSTI) dissociated itself from the strike
call-off.
In a statement in Osogbo, by its Secretary,
Comrade Olusegun Lana, CASUOSTI maintained
that they would continue with the strike as the
problem of alleged mismanagement of their
contributory pension scheme and deductions
from their salaries were not resolved.
Meanwhile, the state government has reportedly
commenced the payment of backlog of workers’
salaries, starting with January and February,
2015 for state workers and March and April,
2015 for Local Government counterparts.
Other ongoing payments included that of
primary school teachers, balance of pensions
for state government for November 2014,
outstanding pensions for January-February,
2015 for Retired Primary School Teachers and
March, 2015 Pensions for Retired Local
Government Staff.
Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade
Jacob Adekomi, who spoke on behalf of other
labour leaders pointed out that labour, in
ending the strike considered the parlous
financial situation of the state arising from
decline in monthly Federal Allocations and
dwindling Internally Generated Revenue, IGR
which originally led to non-payment of six
months’ salaries.
“The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
was signed by the State government, the Joint
Public Service Negotiating Councils (JPSNC), the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the Trade
Union Congress (TUC), of Osun.The MOU we are
signing today is agreed to by both parties taking
due cognisance of the present parlous financial
situation of the state on an interim basis, as a
condition precedent to suspending the strike
action.
“Committees will be set up according to the
MOU aimed at screening, determination of the
actual wage bill, and workers in the
employment of the state, the actual number and
actual monthly pensions’ bills of both Local
Governments’ and State Government
Pensioners,” Adekomi said.