Osun Workers Declares Strike

On Monday Osun State labour unions declared a total strike to press home their demand for payment of their six-month salaries. 

Jacob Adekomi, The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Osogbo announced that the strike would begin on Tuesday, May 26, after the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum given to the state government.

He addressed:  “That an indefinite strike action be commenced by all the workers in the State of Osun as from Tuesday, May 26, 2015 due to the failure of the government to accede to our legitimate demands, as contained in our letter to the government dated May 12, 2015. The indefinite strike action will be total and by this billeting, workers are advised to stay at home while pressing home our demands. That no worker should resume work until announcement is made by the labour bodies to that effect.”

Workers in the employ of Osun State government have begun to lament the non-payment of about six months salaries being owed them by Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration. “It has been very difficult to survive without salary for months. We cannot even afford to pay the school fees of children in private schools, while we also trek to the office sometimes,” said a civil servant in one of the ministries at the state secretariat, Abeere. The workers agreed to boycott the activities to mark the 2015 workers day celebrations. Francis Adetunji, the factional Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, said: “No May Day celebration this year. That is the decision of the entire workers in Osun State. We cannot be celebrating when workers have not been paid a dime since the beginning of the year.The last salary we were paid was part-payment of November salary. Since then, we have not collected any salary. We will not celebrate the May Day because our salaries are not paid.”