Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, has vowed to pay up all arrears owed to workers in the state before he leaves office in May 2019.
The Governor also ordered the immediate reinstatement of four labour leaders who were “victimized” and sacked from the state civil service.
This formed part of the resolutions reached after a protest held on Tuesday, as well as the threat of a mass protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), ahead of governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the state.
A Memorandum of Understanding signed by the state government and labour unions at the State House in Abeokuta read: “…following the interventions of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council of Nigeria (JPSNC) and the withdrawal of the lawsuit from court by Comrade Akeem Ambali. His Excellency has on compassionate ground approved the reinstatement into the Service with immediate effect of the following: Comrade Akeem Ambali, Assistant Director, Community & Social Devt. GL. 15; Mr. Adegbenro Emmanuel Jolaolu, Principal Grade l, GL. 14; Mr. Emmanuel Adeniyi Asegbe, Senior Education Officer, GL. 10, and Miss Taylor Oluwatobiloba Oluwatomiwa, Education Officer, GL.08.
“His Excellency assured the organized Labour that his administration would not owe cooperative deductions, leave bonus and other global deductions by the end of his second term in office in May 2019 as all would be paid by April 2019.
“That the representatives of State Government and Labour should look into the recommendations of the committee earlier set up on the issue of Contributory Pensions Scheme with a view to recommending a strategy for implementation.”
The labour unions, together with workers in the state on Tuesday, also marched to the State House, but were not received by the Governor who drove away from the secretariat before the workers got there.
