BY OLA AJAYI

IBADAN – A socio-political group, the Oluyole Renaissance Forum, ORF, has urged Governor Abiola Ajimobi to report activities of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Oyo State chapter, to its national body. It said that what Oyo has as its labour union was a “political adversary” and not a labour union.

The group, in a statement  by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Omitowoju and Secretary, Mr. Tajudeen Kasali, said the decision of the state work force to embark on a strike action a day to the national strike action which ended on Wednesday, was an indication that the labour leaders had ulterior motives.

ORF said the state labour leadership was leading the workers astray for their selfish motives, stating that  stakeholders in the state should ask the leaders why a state like Oyo, which was about the first state in the country to pay the minimum wage, should be held to ransom by the labour leaders.

The statement also wondered why the Oyo NLC could not wait for the national strike declared by the NLC before it went on strike and why, even when all the states,  had agreed to pay the N18,000 minimum wage, and the impending strike action was called off, Oyo state labour was yet to call off its own.

It said“The state labour leadership has been misinforming the people about this strike action. First, it keeps telling them that the Ajimobi government was not holding meetings with the state labour. If government did not hold meetings with it, where did the agreement to pay N18,000 in May come from? If government did not hold meetings with them, how did they get the scale of payment of salary that they claimed was not agreeable to them?”.
 

  ….As ACN cautions striking Oyo workers

IBADAN-THE Action  Congress of Nigeria, Oyo State has cautioned striking workers in the state to exercise restraint in the use of strike option to fight their cause.

The party through its Chairman, Chief Akin Oke and Secretary, Mr. Wasiu Olatunbosun said there was no need for the workers to heed the directive of the Joint Negotiating Council to go on strike since the Governor, Senator Abiola had agreed to pay the minimum wage of N18,000.

It said it was worried that while the leadership of Labour Unions had shelved the strike, workers in the state still continued.

The party, urged the workers to return to work and give room for dialogue to amicably resolve all the issues relating to their agitation for the N18, 000 minimum wage.

 ACN called on the workers to sheathe their swords and show more understanding  noting that Governor Abiola Ajimobi was committed to the cause of improved welfare to every worker.

According to the party : “As much as our party, ACN, feels concerned about the plight of an average worker whose take home, in reference to the hitherto salary package, was nothing to write home about, we appeal to the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to prevail on all state government employees who are currently on strike to show understanding so that we can all benefit maximally from the masses-oriented programmes of the present administration in the state.”