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News: Ondo state civil servants begin two days warning strike over outstanding salaries
Yesterday, the Ondo state government announced that they will be paying
the 2 months salary owed the workers and reportedly went on air to
announce
payment of salary arrears.
The workers are now crying foul, saying only
July
salary was paid as at the time of this report. They started their strike
this morning.
Government offices were under lock and keys yesterday in compliance
with the directive of labour leaders in the state that workers should
commence a warning strike Wednesday and Friday because of
Thursday’s independence day holiday.
Labour leaders, as early as 7am moved from one government offices to the other to ensure total compliance.
The. State Chairman of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council
(JNC), Mr Sunday Adeleye said the government only tried to divide the
workers by paying net salary for the month of July to core civil
servants and secondary school teachers.
Adeleye pointed out that government has not paid anything to workers in
the local government and primary school teachers and other categories of
workers.
According to him the state government had breached the agreement it
reached with labour leaders at the meeting where it was agreed that
gross salaries of July and August and deductions for the Month and June
would be paid. The JNC chairman said the government, apart from not
paying primary school teachers and local government workers, is also
withholding deductions for the month of July.
He said the action of the government was contrary to what was been
aired on the State Radiovision Corporation that government had commenced
payment of salaries of July and August to all workers. Adeleye said
workers are aware that the government had placed the bail out fund
received from the Federal Government in a fixed deposit account to yield
interest.
The Information Commissioner Kayode Akinmade said the delay in the
August salaries was due to bank processes adding that the strike was
politically motivated. Akinmade pointed out that the workers would have
shown understanding with government which promised to pay their July and
August outstanding salaries.
Also, the Head of Service, Mr Toyin Akinkuotu while reacting to the
strike action said the “labour leaders were unfair to the government
because they had agreed during the meeting that things would be sorted
out amicably. Akinkuotu said that the strike” is uncalled for since they
all knew that two months salaries cannot be paid at once with the new
system of payment.
The Head of Service said with the explanation made by the government
on the situation on ground and the fact that the workers have started
receiving their July salaries, the labour leaders ought to realize that
government was ready to live up to her responsibilities.
The JNC chairman said that they will consider their next line of action if, by Friday, government failed to meet their demands.