Following protest by public workers earlier today, the Oyo State government has invited the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for an exhaustive dialogue on the issue of salary.
The government made the call in response to a protest earlier today by public workers in the state, calling for an upward review of their salary and allowances of pensioners.
They said their take home pay is not enough to take care of their transport and asked the government to pay them the deductions made from their salary, among other demands.
The protesting workers had barricaded the main entrance to the State Secretariat, demanding that Governor ‘Seyi Makinde should personally attend to them.
However, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said only three months and not six months deductions are owed workers.
The commissioner added that every state in the federation owes workers salary deductions and the three months owed by Oyo State is the least.
Oyelade stated in a statement that the NLC had, over the years, shown that they are in support of the present administration in the state.
He attributed the support to good governance, and asked the Labour leadership to reflect on the disposition of government to workers’ welfare.
“While the July salaries have been paid in Oyo State, not less than 20 states, including Ondo, Plateau, Benue and Bayelsa are owing several months of salaries in arrears.
“Several more, including neighbouring states, are owing months of deduction arrears,” Oyelade stated in the statement.
He also said, while the Oyo State government started the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage three years ago, many states are still struggling to pay the old wage.
“While it is the right and entitlement of our workers to access their wages, especially at this tough time, government implores them to reflect on the sincerity of purpose of this administration.
“Despite the challenges of paying wages, over 2,000 civil servants have been promoted, while almost 1,000 others have been converted to regular service.
“For the records, Oyo State pays N7.3bn monthly as salaries, yet collects N5bn as Federal Allocation.
“Because of this, all the N2.8bn raked in as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are ploughed back literally to service salaries,” it was stated in the statement.
Oyelade said government deserved a pat on the back, “if in spite of this tightrope, government still embarks on such magnitude of infrastructural projects, that even the NLC has applauded numerously.
“Eminent pundits, including the current Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki have predicted that no state will be able to pay salaries by the end of June this year.
“This is because of the worsening shape of the economy. But Oyo State, due to the deft husbanding of the state resources by Governor Seyi Makinde, has defied the doomsday prediction.
“This is why the state government is confident that the NLC will come to the negotiating table and together with the government chart a realistic path in balancing the welfare of the workers to which the government is obviously committed and the unpleasant economic indices that stare all of us in the face.”
Meanwhile, the Oyo State government has urged workers to resume at their duty-posts and “continue the good work they are known for.”
