Amosun to Ogun aggrieved workers: you’re brainless, senseless

…As royal fathers back government against civil servants ...Workers shunned parley with royal fathers

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NIGERIA: OGUN State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Wednesday heavily descended on the aggrieved workers describing them as brainless and senseless.

The workers had threaten to embark on strike from Thursday to demand for immediate payment of outstanding 12 months unions’ check-off dues, outright stoppage of the Contributory Pension Deductions and immediate payment of 12 months of global deductions which include (bank loans repayment, co-operatives savings, Ileya/festivals savings and gradual payment of retiree gratuity).

Amosun’s scolding of the workers came at the time they shunned royal fathers who attempted to persuade them from embarking on the strike.

The Governor, who spoke at the Town Hall meeting organised by the Ministry of Budget and Planning at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, said that his administration cannot meet the workers’ demand because it does not have the money to pay them.

According to him, it was unimaginable for the workers, who were quite familiar with the financial position of the state, to threaten to go on industrial action.

Amosun stated that despite the financial meltdown facing the country, his administration is still in the forefront of states paying workers promptly.

“We all know this, yet some are not using their brains,” the enraged Governor said, adding: “They don’t have brain and they don’t know what they are doing.”

He further lambasted the civil servants: “They don’t have sense.  I cannot give what I don’t have. Teachers alone collect N2 billion monthly.”

Amosun told the aggrieved workers that whoever is interested in politics among them should resign and join the political race, as government observed that the strike was politically sponsored.

The Governor declared: “If you want to join politics go and resign; you can then become card-carrying members of political parties, you can start printing posters if interested to contest.”

He stated that his government was fully poised to crush any civil servant who attempted to run down the administration without justification.

‎Meanwhile, the moves by traditional rulers in the state to appeal to the workers not to embark on the planned industrial action suffered setback on Wednesday.

The aggrieved workers shunned dialogue with the monarchs led by the new Chairman of the Traditional Council of Obas, the Olu of Ilaro, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle.

Oba Olugbenle, in his address, said that the decision of the labour leaders to shun dialogue with them was a total disregard for the traditional institution and elders.

The monarch, who is also the paramount ruler of Yewaland, said that “this is very disrespectful and disappointing of the workers.”

He declared: “The paramount rulers and all Obas in Ogun State are not in support of any call by the organised labour to call workers out to embark on any action at a critical time in the history of our nation.

“Strike is not the solution to the problem confronting the nation as the critical productivity sectors of the state will suffer.”

Oba Olugbenle added: “The organised labour are enjoined to show understanding and perseverance during this recession period with the state government that is striving within its means to ensure that salaries are paid regularly as at when due, compared to their contemporaries in other states being owed several months of unpaid salaries.

“We also frowned at the shameful and embarrassing conduct of one of the workers unions during the Teachers Day celebration on 5th October, 2016 in the state where a mere celebration of teachers was turned to political platform.”

“We wonder why serving civil servants will turn themselves to politicians,” the royal father said, adding: “This is not the time to strike, strike will not resolve anything, it will only cause more problems. This is the time for us all to assist, support and cooperate with the government to develop the state.”

He further said: “Yes, we are aware that what they are fighting for is their legitimate right and the government is not saying it won’t pay, but they should be more patient with the Governor and give him more time.

“We are all affected by the economic hardship of the country.  Even our own allocation has gone down by more than 50 percent, so we are not isolated by the situation.”

He maintained that it was obvious that the leadership of the workers unions are being sponsored by some politicians to cause confusion in the state.

Also, while speaking, the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, said that it would be a bad development if the proposed strike was being sponsored by “agents” who are outside the state.

His words: “If the strike is motivated by agents from outside the state for them to throw this state into chaos, then it is just too bad and unfortunate.”

“It is also unfortunate that the labour have refused to give us the opportunity to address them, to ask them questions and to ask whether the Governor has been fulfilling his pledge,” Oba Adetona stressed.

The embattled workers had on Monday at a press conference said that the notice to embark on strike was the last warning to government after the prior 21-day ultimatum the workers gave the government and will be halted only if government yield to their demands.
The press conference was jointly addressed by Abiodun Olakanmi‎ (JNC), Olubunmi Fajobi (TUC), and Akeem Ambali (NLC).
Olakanmi stated that the leadership of the unions suspended their strike in March due to the intervention of some notable royal fathers, the House of Assembly and some prominent citizens of the state.
The JNC leader stressed that the workers would embark on the strike unless the government hearken to their demands, particularly by honouring its various pacts reached at several meetings held with representatives of the government.

He further said that without government meeting all the demands there would be no going back on the strike scheduled for October 20.

Olakanmi said: “Without the state government attending to these demands, the industrial action we are embarking on come Thursday, 20th of October 2016 will not be called off nor be suspended.”
“We viewed the inaction of the Ogun State government as being deliberate, calculative and designed to make the civil servants poorer,” he alleged.
Olakanmi, who lamented that the labour had lost a member due to lack of money, maintained that “the workers can no longer tolerate the bluff of the state government while most workers are made to agonize in silence.”
Ambali, also at the conference, said that the workers had suffered enough and could not continue in silence.

“It is a total strike.  If they call us we will not answer,” Ambali stressed, while adding that the workers are ready to forfeit one month salary in order for their deductions to be paid.
Also speaking, Fajobi said that the workers’ leadership had on several occasions entered into pacts with the government, only for the government fail on its obligations.

Fajobi bemoaned: “We have been humiliated to the extent that many can’t feed their families, many can’t pay for their children schools and take care of themselves; everybody has agreed to go on the strike.”