Government Workers in Oyo state have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the Oyo state government did not meet up their dam by next week.
The Workers under the aegis Public Service Joint Negotiating Council consist of affiliates of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC). These Unions are the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), the Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU), the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria- (PSAN), Judiciary Staff Union of Workers (JUSUUN), Radio Television Theatre and Art Workers of Nigeria. (RATTAWU) have earlier written the executive governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, urging him to address some issues the Oyo state workers were facing which is against the welfare of the workers in the state, some also none fulfillment of promIse made to workers by the governor.
Such issues the workers want Makinde to address include Workers, Promotion of Workers, Contributory Pension Scheme, Subvention to Tertiary Institutions,
Delay in Payment of salaries of some MDA, Gratuity and Pension, etc.
The state workers, thereby urged governor Makinde to take action on or before 10th November 2022, otherwise, there might not be a guarantee of industrial peace in the State.
The letter issued to governor Seyi Makinde on 3rd of November read:
REQUEST FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE JOINT NEGOTIATING COUNCIL’S (PSJNC) DEMANDS
Your Excellency’s attention is humbly drawn to the Council’s Communiqué dated 24th October, 2022 (herein attached).
2. Your Excellency, it is regretted that there had been no response to the Charter of demands forwarded to Your Office. Your Excellency, please note that the demands therein are issues seriously and negatively affecting our members across the Public Service of Oyo State. The PSJNC had put in all efforts to calm the workers down with a promise that Your Excellency will earnestly take an appropriate action which has not come.
3. Since the situation remained the same, the workers of Oyo State have become
restive, thereby putting the Council in a difficult position for further appeals to our members.
4. Based on the above, Your Excellency, the Council hereby appeal that positive
action be taken on our demands on or before 10th November, 2022, otherwise, the PSJNC may not be in a position to guarantee industrial peace in the State.
The communique issued at the end of the meeting Of The Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (PSJNC) Wednesday, 12th October, 2022 Read:
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE JOINT NEGOTIATING COUNCIL (PSJNC) HELD AT THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS SECRETARIAT, IBADAN HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 12TH OCTOBER, 2022.
The Public Service Joint Negotiating Council consists of affiliates of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC). These Unions are Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Nigerian Union of Local
Government Employees (NULGE), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria- (PSAN), Judiciary Staff Union of Workers (JUSUUN), Radio Television Theatre and Art Workers of Nigeria. (RATTAWU) met on Wednesday, 12th October, 2022 at the NLC Secretariat, Ibadan. At the meeting, the Council in Session reflected on recent development on issues of Oyo State in general and Labour matter in the Oyo State Civil Service in particular.
The Council in Session appreciates Your Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde in some of Your programs towards promoting the progress of our teeming workers. However, the Council observed there are issues militating against the administration of this present government and these include
Deductions, Conversion of Workers, Promotion of Workers, Contributory Pension Scheme, Subvention to Tertiary Institutions, Delay in Payment of salaries of some MDA’S, Gratuity and Pension etc.
1. DEDUCTIONS:
The Council in Session was caught unaware by the failure of Your Excellency to release the deductions of workers when salaries are paid. The Council in Session knows that deductions are part of workers salary and by implication, this government is failing to pay workers’ salaries as and when due as against the promise of this present administration. The Council calls on Your Excellency to pay all the outstanding deductions of July, August, September and October 2022 before 31 October, 2022 so that the peaceful co-existence between Labour and government is not broken.
2. CONVERSION:
The Council in Session notices some inadequacies in the process of conversion of Oyo State workers from one Cadre to another whereby some workers were inappropriately placed as it affected so many of our teeming workers. We therefore urge Your Excellency to revisit this issue by adopting this circular with Reference No: HCSF/SPSO/NCE/CND. 100/S. 10/111/102 dated 12th of Apr. 2021. A copy of this Circular is marked as Appendix A.
3. PROMOTIONS:
The Council in Session thanks Your Excellency for the approval of 2021 promotion exercise, however; there are so many workers that have not been promoted up till this moment in some MDAs. In our earlier letter dated 12th May, 2022, the Council requested for the promotion for 2021 and 2022 but unfortunately, Your Excellency approved that of 2021. The Council is aware that Oyo State workers are due for 2022 promotion exercise and the Council is requesting that the promotion exercise be approved. The Council is also using this forum to notify Your Excellency that all outstanding promotions be cleared before 2021 and 2022 promotion exercises begin.
4. CONTRIBUTORY PENSION SCHEME (CPS):
The Council in Session rejects in its entirety the idea of bringing CPS to cause more hardship on Oyo State Workers because taking a cue from other States which keyed into this Scheme, we have seen that they are opting out because of it’s harmful effects on workers. We therefore do not want such
inimical scheme in Oyo State and if the Oyo State government cunningly introduces this scheme, we can assure Your Excellency that the cordial relationship that exists between the workers and the government will be irretrievably ruined.
5. SUBVENTION TO TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS:
The Council in Session notices with dismay that the subvention to Tertiary Institutions are not released on the 25th of every month as being done for other workers and this is affecting the workers in the Institutions because their salary is
not paid as and when due. We urge Your Excellency to look into it and resolve this recurring issue.
6. PROMPT PAYMENT OF SALARIES OF SOME MDA’S:
The Council in Session informs Your Excellency that some parastatals are not receiving their monthly salaries on
the 25th of every month as stipulated by Your Excellency. They include Judiciary and BCOS etc.
7. GRATUITY AND PENSION:
The Council in Session wishes to appreciate Your Excellency on one hand and urge Your Excellency to improve on it’s operations so that Pensioners and government will be on the same page. We also want Your Excellency to look into the thirteen (13) point demands of Pensioners and address them appropriately.
8. UPWARD REVIEW OF SALARIES:
The Council in Session regrets to inform Your Excellency that Your Excellency has reneged on the promise that salaries of workers be reviewed every three (3) months and it is unfortunate that the promise has not been kept.
It should be noted that Oyo State Government had publicly proclaimed that her Internally Generated Revenue is on the increase on monthly basis. Therefore, we see no reason why our salaries should not be reviewed upward as promised by Your Excellency.
9. ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL AUTONOMY:
The Council in Session also solidarise with our Local Government Workers (NULGE), Judiciary Workers (JUSUUN), and Parliamentary staff (PASSAN) to have their Administrative and Financial Autonomy (Independence) which we believe will lead to grass root development.
10. TENURE EXTENSION OF EDUCATION
OFFICERS/TEACHERS:
The Council in Session is also urging Your Excellency to extend the tenure of Education Officers/Teachers from 60-65 years in age and from 40-45 years length of service. (Appendix B).
11. DISMISSED SUBEB OFFICERS:
The Council in Session wishes to notify Your Excellency to look into the cases of dismissed officers in Oyo State Basic Education Board (SUBEB) on allegations of financial malpractices and the implementation of the report of the panel set up to investigate their
allegations.
12. PAYMENT OF A 7,500 TO CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION:
The Council in Session strongly dissent with the recent Circular released by the Civil Service Commission captioned “Update on Confirmation of Basic Academic Certificates of Officers Recruited or Converted into new cadres by the Civil Service.
Commission from January, 2015 till date”. It stipulates in this Circular that Converted individual is to compulsorily pay a sum of N7, 500.00 that is to take effect from July 2019. This will be burden on the workers and we are aware the exercise can be conducted without milking our members. We also noticed that the effective date of payment was backdated to 2019 whereas the promotion exercise is always at the mercy of the Government.
13. NON-PAYMENT OF LEAVE BONUS AND CAR LOAN.
The Council in Session notices that the payment of Leave bonus and car loan are going to extinction. Hence, we are appealing to Your Excellency to rejuvenate the Leave bonus and Car loan scheme.
The Council in Session urges Your Excellency to use Your good office to look into our requests and ensure that they are resolved in earnest. The Council in Session assures Your Excellency of our unalloyed support provided the Government accedes to the
yearnings of Oyo State Workers.
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