Workers in Osun State, yesterday, lamented the ever-increasing prices of food items, saying that the hike is rubbishing their meagre salaries.
They, therefore, urged the state government to fix their terrible working conditions.
Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Osun State chapter, Adekola Adebowale, while addressing the governor, Ademola Adeleke and other workers at the May Day celebration held at the Osogbo Township Stadium in Osogbo, enumerated other challenges confronting workers in the state and sought attention on them.
The workers, notwithstanding their challenges, commended the governor for prioritising their welfare as promised during his campaign period.
“Workers’ welfare was number one of the five cardinal points during his (Adeleke) electioneering campaigns, and I want to say without mincing words that he has lived up to those promises.
“To mention but a few, within the last few months he has been on board, he has paid part of the humongous backlog of salary arrears and pension arrears owed by his predecessors. The promotion given by the past administration without financial effects has been cash-backed. Your Excellency sir, we cannot but continue to pray for you and to support you so that every of your good dreams for the workers and the entire citizenry would materialise.
“You inherited a poorly-motivated civil service, as our take-home pay cannot take us home. The ever increasing prices of goods and services, particularly foodstuff, has made nonsense of the meagre salary we are earning. The working condition is terrible, running cost for the day-to-day operation of many agencies of government were not paid, making the task of doing government job extremely difficult.”
“There’s an urgent need to declare a state of emergency in the pension department of the service. Workers now see retirement, which ordinarily should be a thing of joy after a meritorious service to our fatherland, as a death sentence because there’s no hope of getting retirement benefits years after disengagement from active service.
“Another area worthy of being looked into is the issue of contract staffing. This practice is inimical to the spirits and ethics of the service, it is against the International Labour Organisation laws and the world acceptable working standards. We want you to kindly find an end to it within our system,” he said.
He added: “Extension of length of service of some highly-influential officers in the service is a terrible thing. This was the norms during past regimes, wherein their loyalists were offered extension of service after retirement from the service, I make bold to say that nobody is indispensable and no one is an encyclopedia of knowledge.
“The delay and continued delay in the appointment of permanent secretaries is derailing our ever-ready technocrats and bureaucrats. There are vacancies and there are hundreds of capable hands, Please sir, direct the Head of Service to give you the best among the best, considering all factors.
“The idea of co-ordinating directors is totally alien to the Civil Service Rules and Regulations.”
