6th July, 2011
For the second time, the crucial meeting between Ogun state Government and the state chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held yesterday ended in a deadlock.
The meeting, which was held at the Governor’s office, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria, lasted for hours and had in attendance the Governor himself, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun, his Deputy, Prince Segun Adesegun, the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Barr.Taiwo Adeoluwa and other stakeholders mainly from the Finance and Budget departments.
The meeting was held to continue from where they stopped inconclusively on Monday and it was held at the instance of the labour over some issues relating to their allowances running into billions of naira.
Speaking on behalf of other labour bodies in the state at a press conference held at Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Secretariat, Abeokuta, yesterday, the state Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Seyi Adebanjo, accompanied by Chairmen of both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Joint Negotiating Committee, Comrade Akeem Ambali and Comrade Sunday Adeegbe respectively, described the meeting with the state government as unimpressive.
The labour leaders, however, berated the immediate past governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel for reneging on his promise to pay all the outstanding allowances his administration was owing the workers in the state.
The labour leaders vowed to go strike if the incumbent government fails to address their problems.
While disclosing the outcome of the meeting with the state government, Adebanjo said: “it was still the same story. All our demands were not met by the state government .Before the advent of this government , in fairness to him, all the promises made by the past governor that he would not leave this stage without paying all the money were false.”
Speaking on the issue of minimum wage, Adebanjo said that “if you flout the constitution, then you will face the penalty. An act of parliament is supposed to be obeyed by every citizen within the geographical set up. That is what we are saying.
“All the people involved in monetary matters in Nigeria have said the governors can pay. Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, and Wages commission have maintained that the states have enough resources to pay the new minimum wage. Why all these noise now?” he asked.
He later threatened that if the state government fails to meet their demands, they will do the normal thing,”the language that governments always understand at all levels, it is called strike. Failure by the government to answer us will force us to tell them what they like to hear. Everything has stages, we have issued a threat and the signal will be awaited from the national body and by then, there will be no going back as activities all over the state will be paralysed,†he warned.
—Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta