Ogun in lockdown as workers begin indefinite strike

Civil servants in Ogun State stayed away from their offices on Monday in strict compliance with the decision of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council.

The action was due to a strike called by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council.

The industrial action, according to a statement by General Secretary of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, ‎Comrade Olusegun Adebiyi, was due to the failure of the state government to respect the Memorandum of Understanding signed by state labour leaders, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the state government on January 25 this year.

The strike turned the state secretariat at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta intoa ghost town, while few workers, who were unaware of the strike and came to work earlier in the day, had to return to their homes.

Local government workers also joined the industrial action, which also affected public schools.

Medical doctors in the state under the umbrella of National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners, also stayed away from work.

Pupils of public primary and secondary schools, who went to school, were seen returning to their homes, as their teachers did not show up for work.

A senior official of one of the local governments in Abeokuta told our correspondent that few of them (top management cadre) that reported for work were chased out of the council secretariat by the compliance and enforcement group of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council.

Another public servant, official of the Ministry of Education told our correspondent that all workers within the employment of the Ogun State government supported the strike because of what he termed as the state government’s penchant for “disobeying mutually consented agreement.”

The official, who pleaded anonymity because of fear of reprisal, told our correspondent that the state government has refused to pay all outstanding allowances as contained in the January agreement.

“As I speak, there are people whose pension and gratuity has not been paid since 2012. Deductions like the contributory pension deductions were not remitted, cooperative contributions were not remitted. Same to various union dues,” he said.

Because of the failure to remit these deductions, particularly cooperatives, New Mail gathered that most people who had long decided to pull out of the scheme, or those that have applied for loans could not access because of lack of money.