Workers in Ogun State yesterday threatened to shut down the state if the government does not take immediate steps to pay them arrears of unremitted contributory pension, gratuity and pensions due to retired civil servants.

Chairman of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Olakanmi Abiodun who spoke to journalists in Abeokuta, said all effort to get the government to meet their demands had not yielded any positive results hence, the planned strike.

They alleged that the state government failed to remit 106 months of contributory pension deductions and 14 months of global deductions covering Cooperatives Target Savings, Bank Repayment Loans and Assets Acquisition Repayment Fund.

Also, the state government failed to implement staff promotion for three years, as well as failed to pay four years gratuities of retired civil servants, four years of unpaid statutory leave allowances and six months of statutory trade unions check-off dues.

“The labour wishes to remind the general public that on assuming office in May 2011, the Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s administration was reluctant to pay inherited arrears, declaring that by his training, he is not bound to pay money that he did not owe.

“He promised that on his honour, he would not owe public servants at the expiration of his administration,” but regrettably, the governor has not honoured his words,” he said.

The workers are, therefore, demanding immediate restoration of payment of gross of workers’ salaries, resolution of all contributory pensions of public services and immediate refund of the money collected from workers on the sale of forms for housing and car loans.

Effort to get the Finance Commissioner, Wale Osinowo, to respond to the issues raised by the workers failed, as he did not take his calls nor replied a text message sent to his phone.