Fuel Protest: Oyo Govt Seeks For Dialogue With Labour

Oyo State Government is seeking for dialogue with the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress to enable the state address the issue of salary deductions exhaustively, before joining any form of protest against the fuel hike to N617 per liter announced by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited 

The Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade in a statement on Monday, clarified  that State Government was owing workers  only three months and not six months deductions 

The statement added that every State in the federation owes workers salary deductions and the three months owed by Oyo State is the least. 

According to the Commissioner, the NLC had shown over the years that they are in support of the present administration because of good governance, but asked them 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, while several more including neighboring states are owing months of deduction arrears.

The Oyo State Government started the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage three years ago, yet up till now 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. 

The statement said 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.

Prince Oyelade said Government deserves 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 because of the worsening shape of the economy but Oyo State due to the deft husbanding of the state resources by Gov 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 urges workers to resume at their duty-posts, and continue the good work they are known for.