Ondo State civil service workers have suspended their strike after a month of commencing the industrial action.
The workers had embarked on the industrial action on June 1, 2016 following the failure of the state government to pay their five months’ salaries.
However, the directive to end the one-month-old industrial dispute was contained in a statement signed and issued by the Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council in the state, Mr. Sunday Adeleye, on Friday.
The announcement came after a long meeting between the leaders of organised labour in the state and representatives of the state government which ended at about 11.00pm on Thursday after both parties agreed on certain terms.
While the trio of the chairmen of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mrs. Bosede Daramola; the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Soladoye Ekundayo; and JNC, Adeleye, signed on behalf of organised labour, the state Head of Service, Mr. Tony Akinkuotu; Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Yele Ogundipe; and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, signed for the state government.
According to the statement, some of the terms agreed upon are that the January 2016 salary will be paid in full immediately to all staff in the mainstream of the civil service, parastatals, Hospital Management Board, Teaching Service Commission, state pensioners and local government staff and primary school teachers.
It was also resolved that the March 2016 salary should be paid immediately in full to primary school teachers and local government staff on Grade Level 01-10, with the understanding that the available funds could not pay all categories of workers in the sectors.
It was agreed that the February 2016 salary would be paid in full to all health workers in the HMB, that judiciary workers would get their full January and February salaries and that the staff of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission would also get their February to April salaries.
Adeleye said in the statement, “It was also resolved today (Thursday) that all outstanding arrears of salaries and pensions shall be offset as a matter of priority from the refunds and reimbursement en bloc.
“That subsequent salaries should be met as number one priority from the Internally Generated Revenue, statutory allocations, budget support loans, refund reimbursement and other sources.
“That government should step up efforts towards increasing its IGR to complement its dwindling allocations from the federation accounts as a way of meeting its financial obligations, especially in prompt salary payment.”
Adeleye explained that the parties agreed that no worker would be victimised, retrenched or retired on account of any strike and “that government should progressively interface with the organised labour regarding the implementation of this agreement and other matters incidental thereto”.
Subsequently, few workers were seen resuming for work on Friday while some public school pupils were also sighted in their schools when our correspondent visited on the same day.
At the Ondo State Specialists Hospital, Akure, where few workers were sighted, it was learnt that the situation was due to the late announcement of the directive by labour leaders for workers to return to work.
In his reaction to the development, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, commended the workers for showing understanding with the state government and promised that the government would not take their welfare for granted.
He said, “Government will do everything within our limit to ensure that we are transparent to our workers and we will make sure that their salaries are paramount. We will continue to appeal to them to continue showing understanding. We commend them for this.”
Source: The Punch
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