Government and academic activities were grounded in Ogun State on Monday as civil servants commenced indefinite strike over non-payment of gratuities and non-remittance of various deductions from workers’ salaries.
The development followed a directive issued by the Joint National Public Negotiating Council (JNC) on Sunday.
Labour leaders stormed the government secretariat at Oke-Mosan as early as 8 am preventing workers from going into their offices.
The entire secretariat was deserted by workers while few top civil servants were seen at their duty posts.
Workers across the 20 council areas in the state also joined in the strike while public schools and court rooms remained under lock and key.
The General Secretary of JNC, Mr Olusegun Adebiyi, who spoke with NAN at the secretariat, described the level of compliance as “impressive.”
Adebiyi expressed regrets that the government reneged on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with workers sometime in January.
He insisted that the strike would not be called off until government fulfilled the agreement.
Adebiyi said: “we have at different times met with the state government on issues affecting workers but they have yielded no positive results.
“We had talked about over seven months of unremitted contributory pensions deductions from workers’ salaries, non-payment of gratuities which was last paid in October, 2012.
“These are our demands and government must oblige us before we call our workers back to work.
“I recollect that on January 25, we had marathon discussions with the state government where government was practically begging us that we should wait until President Muhammadu Buhari end his visit to the state.
“On that day, we signed an MoU with the government to the effect that all of our demands will be addressed.
“We even pleaded that at least deductions of two of the outstanding seven months be remitted and the government promised to effect the remittance within 21 days.
“As we speak, no single deduction had been remitted in spite of a letter of reminder after the 21 days.
“It tells a lot about the government of the state that they are doing practically nothing about public workers and civil servants in the state.
“About 45 per cent of our salaries are being paid and the government goes to the media to tell them they have paid salaries while 55 per cent of the salaries are being withheld by the government.
“This is quite unfortunate and unacceptable to workers.”
On its part, the government expressed regrets at the development in spite of all it had done to ensure prompt payment of workers’ salaries notwithstanding the current harsh economic realities in the country.
The Secretary to the state government, Mr Ade Adeoluwa, in a statement issued in Abeokuta, described the strike as “unpopular.”
“We are at a loss as to what this small and unpopular group of workers in the state civil service really wants to achieve.
“Ogun is currently one of the few states in the federation that is able to pay workers’ salaries as and when due in spite of the current economic downturn.
“What the government expects from its workforce at this difficult period in Nigeria is understanding rather than industrial action,” the statement read.
It promised that the government would continue to offset the outstanding deductions and gratuities of civil servants within available resources.
It warned that “the few uncooperative workers “to desist from physically preventing the vast majority of its workforce who turn up for work and are willing to continue with their lawful duties.
