Labour unions in Ogun State have ordered the civil servants in the state to proceed on an indefinite strike from Thursday over unpaid 12 months cooperative deductions.
The strike order was given on Monday by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress in the state, at a press briefing held at the NUJ secretariat, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta.
The state chairmen of the unions, Abiodun Olakanmi, Akeem Ambali and Olubunmi Fajobi, respectively jointly addressed the journalists.
They said the strike would be total, except the state government paid up the outstanding 12 months unions check off dues, 12 months of deductions which included bank loans repayment, cooperative savings and Ileya/festival savings.
Other demands are: payment of contributory pension deductions, gradual payment of retirees’ gratuities, and the payment of 16 months salaries of workers of the Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu.
Olakanmi, who read the communique signed by the leaders of the unions, said the state government had failed to honour the understanding reached with the workers in March this year, which made them to suspend their 10-day strike.
He said they suspended the previous strike following the intervention of some paramount rulers including the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo.
The union leaders, however, declared that they would never welcome any intervention from either the monarchs or any prominent personalities in the state to stop the impending strike.
Olakanmi said, “The state government has disappointed us. It has pushed us to the wall. It has been playing with our intelligence. This coming strike is going to be total.
“Without the state government attending to these demands, the industrial action we are embarking on, come Thursday, 20th October, 2016 will neither be called off nor be suspended.
“All state public/civil servants of Ogun State are directed to proceed on the indefinite strike from this date until they hear otherwise from the leadership of the organised labour.”
Reacting to the strike order, the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, said the state government had yet to receive the notice of the impending strike.
