Osun state workers are poised for war with Governor Rauf Aregbesola over his plans to pay half salary for March, 2015 out of about eight months salaries owed civil servants in the state.
The workers under the aegis of Osun State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), among others, on Friday in Osogbo, the state capital issued a joint letter and communiqué which were addressed to the governor, copies of which were also forwarded to the Speaker, House of Assembly, the SSG, Accountant General, Director, Department of State Security (DSS) among others recipients vehemently rejected the salary cut.
Reacting to the statement made by the state Head of Service (HoS), Mr Sunday Owoeye, that government had directed that half of March salary be paid to civil servants, the labour unions said there was no basis for such development.
The communique read in part, “it was on record that bailout funds of N34.988 billion was released to this state on Thursday, 3rd of September, 2015 according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele and instead of government fulfilling its own side of the deal by carrying out Section 3 (f) of MoU signed with the labour on the 13th and 29th July respectively, the reverse was the case.
“The information released through the Head of Service on the payment of outstanding salaries on Wednesday was completely opposite the spirit of existing MoU which had generated a palpable tension among the workers and all the entire people living in Osun State.
“That government should effect the immediate implementation of the MoU signed on Monday, 13th July, 2015. That labour movements in the state reject in its entirety the payment of half salary as announced by the Head of Service on Wednesday, 9th, September, 2015 and should not be paid into workers’ accounts.
“That all the arrears of salaries and pensions should be paid from the already released bailout funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria which it is meant for. That the governor should direct the Accountant General of the state and accountant of the Ministry of Local Government not to release half salary into any workers’ individual accounts.
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