The organised labour in Oyo State civil service on Monday staged a peaceful protest over non-payment of salary deductions, leave bonus and upward review of pension allowances.
The workers, under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) protested at the state secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
Hundreds of the workers led by the union leaders arrived the secretariat at 7:45 a.m., blocked the gate and obstructed human and vehicular movement in and out of the place.
The TUC Chairman in the state, Mr Bosun Olabiyi, said that the workers also demanded the payment of gratuities to retirees who had been stagnated since 2021.
According to him, the union members want the release of promotion letters for 2021 and 2022 as well as palliatives for workers following the fuel subsidy removal.
He said that the workers were demanding that Gov. Seyi Makinde should meet and address them on all issues raised before they could open the secretariat gates.
In his address, the NLC Chairman in the state, Mr Martins Kayode, said the protest followed the failure of the state government to address the myriad demands of workers.
“The unions have issued ultimatum to the government to heed to 14 issues in contention which includes payment of gratuities to retirees of state and local government between 2014 and 2012 for state and local government retirees.
“The remittance of deductions from workers’ salaries, full implementation of the minimum wage and implementation of promotion arrears should be addressed without delay,’’ he said.
Also, Mr Segun Abatan, NUP Chairman, called for reinstatement of pensioners wrongfully removed from payroll as well as review of pensions allowances.
He said that the pensioners were receiving an amount he described as “ridiculous’ which ought to have been reviewed by the state government.
Abatan urged the governor to meet and dialogue with pensioners for negotiation on all issues pertaining their welfare.
In his reaction, Mr Titilola Sodo, the Special Adviser to the governor on Labour Matters, implored the union leaders to embrace alternative avenues to dialogue with government on issues at hand.
Sodo, however, said that most of the workers’ demands had been met.
