[size=14pt]Osun workers groan over unpaid salaries[/size]
Sunday, 23 October 2011 00:00
Joshua Dada

Events in the past few months have not been palatable for the people of Osun State. The most presing of them is the non-payment of workers’ salary. As business in Osun State rely largely on salaries of public servants, there is a lull in commercial activities in the state because of the non-payment of civil servants’ salaries. Traders, artisans, market men and women, drivers and others depend on patronage from civil servants to eke a living.

Since the funds injected into the economy through the payment of workers’ salary has stopped, it has led to lamentation by virtually everybody in the state, even in places of worship.

Commercial cab drivers and commercial motorcyclists popularly referred to as Okada riders have a hectic time as they groan over a shortfall in passengers. The situation is also taking its toll on housewives who are at the receiving end of taking care of the home.

Before now, everything was going well between the labour and the government of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola as workers always received their salaries as and when due until the issue of the N18,000.00 minimum wage crept in.

Beside the dispute between Osun State Government and public servants in the health sector and tertiary institutions in the state, government had been alive to the responsibility of paying its workforce promptly.

However, with the signing into law of the N18,000 minimum wage by President Goodluck Jonathan, the door to labour crisis became open across the country with Osun State having its own share.

Thus, the entire workforce of Osun State declared a trade dispute by going on strike on 5th August, 2011 following the breakdown of negotiation between government and Osun State chapter of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The strike was declared on the heels of payment of July salaries, which labour says fell short of the terms of negotiation it had with the government.

Before the strike, the popularity rating of Governor Aregbesola was high, but the reverse is the case now, no thanks to the labour crisis.

Because Osun State is a civil servant state, it has become difficult for past governments to succeed without the favour of public servants.

It would be recalled that the Chief Adebisi Akande led government in Osun State could not survive the wrath of public servants who experienced tough times during his administration.

Chief Akande succeeded in improving on infrastructural development of the state at the expense of the welfare of workers. There were instances where both husband and wife were affected by the unpopular policy of Akande’s administration.

Many of them suffered sudden retirement while a large number were retrenched for what the then government referred to as redundancy.

The unexpected termination of job and retirement as the case may be cut across every stratum of public service including professionals such as teachers, health workers and others all with the aim of reducing the staff strength of the state by doing away with those categorized as dead woods within the public service.

The effect of that policy was unprecedented as many people could not survive the shock of the untimely loss of jobs thereby sending a good number of victims to their graves untimely.

The workers therefore re-grouped to vote out the administration of Chief Bisi Akande and opted for the administration of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola who pledged during his campaign promises in 2003 to right the wrongs done to workers by re-absorbing most of those whose jobs were terminated.

Althhough the population of the public servants in the service of Osun State appears insignificant, the fact remains that to every civil servant there are no fewer than five dependants.

A business woman in the Isida area of Ilesa, who spoke with the Nigerian Compass said: “This is indeed not the best of time for businesses in the state. Since workers in government employment have not been paid for several months now, it has also become difficult for us to survive. This is certainly not our expectation of the Aregbesola government.”

http://www.nigeriancompass.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6819:osun-workers-groan-over-unpaid-salaries&catid=81:political-news&Itemid=618

Everybori is groaning and moaning. It's a se xual affair

^^^

Thats all you use your head for? Thinking of sex/ua.l things only?

Dont worry, if you keep it up well enough, Seun will give you that Ph.d you so desperately want, but dont have the brains to earn.