By David Kabiyesi
Workers and pensioners in Oyo State insisted that they will not backed down on their protest march until their demands are met after Monday’s protest paralyzed activities at the State Secretariat at Agodi, Ibadan.
Oyo State members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and their affiliates are protesting the non-payment of salary deductions, arrears and full salary.
In his reaction, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, stated that the state government owed three months and not six months’ deductions as claimed by the workers.
“For the records, Oyo State pays N7.3bn monthly as salaries, yet collects N5bn as federal allocation. Because of this, all the N2.8bn raked in as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is ploughed back literally to service salaries.
“This is why the state government is confident that the NLC will come to the negotiating table and together with the government chart a realistic path in balancing the welfare of the workers to which the government is obviously committed and the unpleasant economic indices that stare all of us in the face.
“The Oyo State Government started the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage three years ago, yet up till now many states are still struggling to pay the old.”
