Written by Adebayo WaheedWednesday, 28 March 2012
FOLLOWING the total strike declared by the Oyo State workers, the state government has warned that any worker who fails to report for duty would be sanctioned as it would invoke the no work no pay rule.
A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Akin Olajide, on Tuesday, said the state government would not hesitate to enforce the rule against the striking workers because the strike was “illegal.”
The government also said it had opened registers at various duty posts.
The government also said it had opened registers at various duty posts.
However, the leadership of the three labour unions in the state have warned against any attempt by government to stop workers’ salaries.
The acting coordinator of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Fasasi Abiodun, told the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday the latest decision had been the game plan by the government.
He said government had always threatened to invoke the rule but that in most cases, it would end up paying the workers their salaries.
According to him, there was no need to stop workers’ salaries since the strike was caused by the failure of government to fully implement the new national minimum wage.
Government activities were, on Tuesday, substantially paralysed by the ongoing strike embarked upon by civil servants to press home their demand for the implementation of the national minimum wage in the state.
Most offices were shut with very few workers sighted at the state secretariat at 11.00 a.m., while some of those who reported for duty had to return home when they saw the high level of compliance with the workers’ union directive.
The main entrance to the secretariat was manned by armed soldiers and mobile policemen, ostensibly to forestall a breakdown of law and order.
The state lawmakers could not converge for plenary on Tuesday as a result of the strike.
Speaking in a release, the chairman of the state Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, Alhaji Nurudeen Arowolo, said the government was yet to communicate the threat to the unions, adding that whenever the communication was made, the issue would be resolved.
Meanwhile, the strike had led to scarcity of water in areas like Agbeni, Oke-Foko, Agbokojo, Gege and other parts of the state capital.
Also, public schools in the state were under lock and key, as school children were sent back from schools.
SOURCE: The Tribune, 28 March 2012. http://tribune.com.ng/index.php
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