Public service workers in Ondo State have suspended their recently declared indefinite strike and agreed to the N14,000 minimum wage offer made by the state government.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayCivil servants in the ‘Sunshine State’, which is governed by the Labour Party, had embarked on the strike last Thursday following government inability to implement the new minimum wage of N18,000 recently signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan.
At the meeting with the workers to resolve the impasse, officials of the state government, who said the state could not afford to pay the new wage structure, offered to pay N14,000 for now pending the time its allocation from the federation account will be increased.
The Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) of the workers and government subsequently agreed to the payment of N14,000 salary from July 1, 2011.
Aside, from this, the workers also initialled an agreement that the implementation of the N18,000 national minimum wage will not start until an upward review of the revenue allocation formula acceptable to the state government is released by the federal government.
The chairman of the state JNC, Solomon Adelegan signed the agreement on behalf of labour while the state head of service, Ajose Kudehinbu appended his signature to the agreement on behalf of the government.
Mr Adelegan noted that the workers decided to suspend the industrial action following an understanding between the two sides that the state’s finances cannot accommodate the payment of the new minimum wage for now.
“That after going through the facts and figures presented by the Ondo State government, it was clear to the parties that the government cannot afford to pay the new national minimum wage of N18,000 for now,” the agreement stated, in part.
“That pending a new revenue allocation formula acceptable to the state government, labour agreed with the proposal by the state government to introduce salary relativity under which government will pay for now, a minimum salary of N14,000 per month to workers under the aegis of the JNC in the public service.”
Proud of labour leaders
The state commissioner for Information, Ranti Akerele, who was on the state delegation to the meeting said the government wished that it could give more to its civil servants because “nothing is too much to give to the workers and they truly deserved it.”
“They too know that the present administration is known by the electorate as a workers-friendly government which had taken workers welfare as a priority since it came on board,” he said. “We will continue to build on what we have started as government. What we have witnessed this morning was an evidence of sound relationship between us. Workers were agitating for their legitimate right. Yet they showed indescribable understanding of the situation on ground.
We are very proud of them for that”.
Responding to the suspension of the strike, the state deputy governor, Ali Olanusi, who led the government delegation to the negotiation, expressed the gratitude of the Olusegun Mimiko-led administration to the workers “for their sense of maturity, understanding as well as quick and positive response to the situation throughout the negotiation period.”
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