National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Bose Adelakun
In response to the current hardship, Workers in Oyo State have taken to the street to protest.
The workers are demanding for palliatives, upward review of pension allowances and payment of salary deduction from the state government.
They also requested for the payment of backlogs of leave bonuses, and gratuities to retirees which has been put on hold since 2021 as well as release of promotion letters for the Years 2021 and 2022.
The protesters includes workers and pensioners under the banners of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC; Trade Union Congress, TUC; Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP; Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE; and other groups.
Speaking in an interview during the protest, the Oyo NLC Chairman, Mr Kayode Martins called for an audience with the state Governor, Seyi Makinde.
He said, “There has been a lot of communication gap between us and our governor. We insist we want to see him. Many a time, our demands have been misrepresented, we are being misquoted to the governor so we want to see him clear the air so that the harmonious relationship between the workers and the government will persist in the state.
“In the event that the governor does not show up to address us, we go back home, we meet and draw the next line of action.”
Similarly, Oyo NUT Chairman, Mr Bosun Olabiyi, said, “We believe that our demands are before him. There is six months deduction that has been withheld by the state government. Deductions that are supposed to go to cooperatives, housing, union dues, taken from workers’ salaries, have been withheld.
“This issue of deductions has been on for almost a year. At the January prayer meeting, he promised to pay two months and that two months was not even paid until the end of the month when there was some agitation. Since then, it has again been accumulating.
“Pensioners in Oyo State are really suffering. There are some pensioners still collecting N300 per month. The last time a pension was reviewed was in the year 2007 during the administration of late governor Adebayo Alao-Akala. Since then, there have been things signed but not implemented. So, there are a series of arrears owed to pensioners. There is also the issue of outstanding promotions and leave bonuses. So that is why we all agreed to resume here today; we believe he will address us.”
On his part, the Chairman of Oyo NUP, Mr Segun Abatan, said, “Nigerian workers, through the instrumentality of NLC, TUC, NUP have written His Excellency several letters about their demands. Unfortunately, they have not been addressed. Our intention is to meet the governor himself.
“As I speak with you, we have unpaid gratuities from 2014 till date. Also, we have pensioners earning N350 per month so we want pension review. The last pension increase was done by the late Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in 2007. What I earn in 2007 is still what I earn.”
