Ogun workers threaten state gov

Ogun workers, with the support of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council are set to confront state Gov, Dapo Abiodun over what they termed “unimpressive” implementation of the the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the government and the state organised labour.

This threat came exactly one year after the MoU was signed between the two parties.

The government had signed an MoU with the organised labour in September 2020 on the implementation of the new minimum wage and other demands of the workers.

The MoU followed a one-week strike by the organised labour over its various agitations in the state.

The workers lamented that the government’s implementation of the agreement has been “grossly unimpressive, morale dampening and ultimately sending helpless state employees to early graves.”

Adebiyi explained that some of the issues still subsisting in the MoU included proposed amendments to the State Contributory Pension Law; 19 months of non payment of deductions; gratuity payment and matters arising;

He said, “Others are unpaid seven-year arrears of statutory leave allowance and snail speed on staff promotion, among others.”

The council secretary added that the union had “painfully observed the lackluster attitude and lack of genuine commitment of the state government towards any policy whatsoever to alleviate the fast deplorable conditions of its workforce.”

The Labour Act of 2004 set the standard for the minimum amount of naira a worker in Nigeria is supposed to make. In 2004 the minimum wage was set to ₦5,500.00 per month. In 2011, the National Minimum Wage Act of 2011 set the minimum wage to ₦18,000.00 per month. The Labour Act of 2004 also has an exception that states that any establishment which employs fewer than 50 workers does not have to abide to the Nigerian minimum wage. In 2019, a new implementation for an increase to more than 50,000 Naira was advocated but later settled to 30,000 Naira which has commenced payment at that rate.