Condemns Fayose’s comment
Labour leaders in Ekiti State have criticised Governor Ayodele Fayose for attempting to cause crisis and disunity among its members by declaring that his government would pay workers that are not on strike.
The organised labour further berated the governor for his planned decision to pay only the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), a section of workers in the state, which had decided to pull out of the ongoing strike action, urging the entire workforce to remain in their various houses until otherwise directed by their respective unions.
Their words: “On the issue of outstanding salary, it is a common knowledge that all workers have performed their duties efficiently and effectively for the period of January to May 2016 and hence they deserve their pay without further delay. “Therefore, contrary to government’s decision to pay the sector that opted out of the current struggle is tantamount to divide and rule tactics usually employed by government in situations like this.
“It should be noted that the Labour has neither suspended nor call off the ongoing industrial action in the state, hence we are using this medium to implore the entire workers of all categories in all sectors to stay at home and observe the strike until the leadership of the organised labour gives further directives.
The workers had been on strike since Wednesday over the non-payment of their five-month salaries and deductions.
Rising from an emergency meeting at the Labour House in Egbewa, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the unions, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), said in a release: “The ongoing strike is not an ego trip or politically-motivated, but about the rights of workers and pensioners who are dying daily of hunger and frustration”.
They equally berated the governor for deciding to go on strike too, noting “This (decision) leaves much to be desired”.
In a statement in response to the governor’s comments during his monthly media chat,broadcast live on electronic stations in the state, jointly signed by Paul Olayemi (NLC), John Adebayo (TUC) and Blessing Oladele (JNC), the unions blamed the governor for mentioning just four out of the 10 demands earlier presented to him by the unions, while, according to them, no solutions were given to even the four.
Besides, contrary to the statement by the governor of incorporating representatives of labour unions in the state’s monthly cash allocation meeting, the unions said: “The meeting is only a briefing and not a cash allocation meeting. So, the idea of labour leaders sharing monthly cash allocation and the governor approving does not arise. There has never been any advice or suggestion given to government by the organised labour at this forum that has ever been taken.”
They said there was never a time they reached any accord with government to pay only net salary, which would exclude co-operative deductions, bank loans and union dues, expressing regret that the governor himself had condemned net payment when he came on board and during his election campaigns which he had then described as a ‘fraud’.
