OYO State governorship candidate of the African Democratic
Congress (ADC), Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, has decried what he termed the unfair
and inhuman treatment of civil servants and retirees in the state by the state
government.
Lanlehin
said deliberate and willful actions such as non-payment of salaries and pension
as well as gratuity meted out to serving and retired civil servants do not bode
well for productivity, staff motivation and societal harmony.
Lanlehin, in a statement by Lanre Ogundipe, Director, Media, Publicity and
Protocol, Handshake Campaign Organisation (HCO), spoke against the backdrop of
the three-day warning strike declared by the Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the serial
agitations by state-owned tertiary institution workers over months of unpaid
salaries.
Lanlehin wondered what Governor Abiola Ajimobi was celebrating
and thumping his chest over by saying he was fulfilled as governor, when there
was a deluge of debts owed in form of pensions and gratuities, asking
rhetorically, what manner of fulfilment that was.
“It
is to be recalled that the state workforce, under the aegis of the Public
Service Joint Negotiating Council (PSJNC), had embarked on a three-day warning
strike last week over what it termed non-implementation of the 2012-2016
promotion approved by the state government.
“The strike was declared owing to the failure of the state
government to give the promotion financial backing since its approval last
year. The Labour centres noted that the state government only issued promotion
letters to a few workers, and then placed an embargo on further issuance of
promotion letters,” the statement said.
The
ADC candidate berated the state government for issuing promotion letters to
workers without adequate financial backing, and for stopping further
promotions, adding that it was in line with the All Progressives Congress
(APC-led) government’s tradition of consistently being against the people and
caring for workers.
“Workers,
who constitute a formidable constituency in the state, continue to be so
treated with contempt. Treating pensioners with disdain to the point where the
men and women, who had contributed their quota to the development of the state,
are now forced to resort to litigation is very unfortunate,” Lanlehin lamented.
“What
manner of government wakes up one day, and tells tertiary institutions to be
self-financing?” Lanlehin queried, adding that withdrawal of subventions to the
institutions, coupled with the non-release of capital grants to them had all
but stifled the institutions, leading to their inability to pay salaries of
almost 27 months, in certain instances, and a dearth in physical infrastructure
in the affected institutions.” he said.
He assured workers, both active and retired, that the ADC-led government would
run a government which will listen to them, learn from them, and lead by their
support.
“Payment of salaries, pensions
and gratuities, will be non-negotiable, and indeed, will be the centrepiece of
his administration’s plans and policies,” he said.
Lanlehin added that from
consultations with a different category of workers in the state, the problems
facing workers had been highlighted, and the solutions to be proffered are
already known and would be implemented once he gets the reins of power.
He subsequently urged them to
remain committed to carrying out their legitimate duties, promising that “in
yet a little while, the good times will return.”
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