1st April, 2013
Public servants in the western Nigerian state of Osun will on Tuesday begin a four-day warning strike to press home their demand for the implementation of the agreement between government and Labour over the full payment of minimum wage.
The state NLC, the Joint Negotiation Council and theTUC said that the strike was necessitated by the non-implementation of the agreement on the payment of the wage.
The state NLC Chairman, Alhaji Saka Adesiyan, Alhaji Bayo Adejumo, the Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council and Mr Francis Adetunji, the state TUC Chairman, announced that the warning strike would proceed as earlier agreed while addressing newsmen in Osogbo.
Adesiyan said that the notice for the four-day warning strike issued on March 29, was still in place, in spite of government’s invitation of the JNC, NLC and TUC for negotiation.
“The strike will hold as directed because the decision to embark on the action was taken at a congress. Other contrary decisions will also be taken at a congress.“
He refuted claims by some leaders of affiliated unions that the NLC, TUC and JNC chairmen had ulterior motive for the warning strike.
He said the interest of all workers in the state was paramount, adding that labour was constrained to issue the warning strike to press home their demand, due to the non-compliance with the agreement on the full implementation of minimum wage by the government.
Leaders of some affiliate bodies had Sunday disassociated their members from the proposed warning strike.
Mr Akinyemi Olatunji, the state Chairman of the Senior Civil Servants Association, who spoke on behalf of other bodies, directed all public servants in the state to disregard the warning strike.
Olatunji alleged that the strike was being masterminded by four people who did not consult with the executives of the affiliated unions.
He urged public servants to report for duty and ignore the warning strike.
Speaking on the allegation that the three chairmen solely took the decision to call for warning strike, TUC Chairman Adetunji, explained that all workers in the state had agreed to embark on the warning strike.
He added that another congress would hold on April 2, to brief workers on how the government had invited JNC, NLC and TUC for negotiation.(NAN)