Ondo State workers threaten to begin strike on Tuesday over non-payment of salaries

Organised labour unions in Ondo State have threatened to commence strike on Tuesday, November 13,  if the government fails to pay the backlog of their salary arrears.  

In a letter to the governor dated November 9, 2018 and signed by state chairmen of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and the Joint Negotiating Council, Tayo Ogunleye; Soladoye Ekundayo and Abel Oloniyo, respectively, the workers asked Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to pay the backlog from the N20bn Paris Club refund the state received from the Federal Government recently.

The workers accused the governor of not consulting the labour unions on the release of the Paris Club refund to the state as both parties had earlier agreed.    

The letter read in part, “we want to draw the attention of His Excellency to the recommendations of a committee on payment of six months arrears of salary to Ondo State workers set up by the state government that was submitted to Your Excellency in May 2017.

We also hold that the said agreement subsists between labour and the government of Ondo State irrespective of who mounts the mantle of leadership particularly when the state Head of Service remains the signatory to both the agreement and the committee report.

In view of the above, we call on the government to please pay in line with our agreement as analysed in our letter under  reference on or before 12 noon Tuesday, November 13, 2018“.