BY DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA—Workers in  the 20 Local Government Areas of Ogun State have given Governor Ibikunle  Amosun, a fresh seven-day ultimatum to pay the outstanding salaries owed them or risk a strike action.

The workers under the aegis of   the National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, in the  state  has accused governor  Amosun-led administration of crippling the local government by starving the councils of fund.

In the letter signed by the State Secretary of the National Union of Local Government Employees, Mr. Bamidele Oyeniyan and made available to journalists in Abeokuta, yesterday, the workers  threatened a showdown with the government  over their unpaid salaries.

Vanguard gathered that, all the councils have been surviving on overdraft facilities from banks due to poor funding by the government while it was also learnt that the larger  per cent of the  workers in the state are being owed salaries .

NULGE stated that it had ealier given a  14-day ultimatum  to government to settle the salaries which lapsed last Tuesday.

It however said “there is no gainsaying the fact that all these misfortune bestowed upon the local government has totally crippled the local government system of administration in Ogun State. In addition, it has turned an average local government worker to chronic debtor, poor public servant and hopeless fellows. We are tired of monthly salary agitations. A final solution should be provided.

“ The governor must within the next seven days sort out issues bordering on the total shifting of the 10 per cent payment of primary school teachers salaries, leave bonuses, pensions and other charges on local government councils which are now causing over-delay/irregular payment of salaries of local government workers as at when due.

“Inability of local government councils to embark on any meaningful project for the local populace which is now putting the existence of local government councils into questioning” as well as the “inability to pay all deductions made from workers’ to relevant purses such as cooperative societies, check-off dues of industrial unions in the local government.

“Governor  Amosun must  check the deliberate efforts of the Local Government Service Commission to destroy the union’s structures at the local government branch levels by indiscriminate posting of branch executives out of the council that elected them.

“The governor must also address their inability to pay leave bonuses for over a year now and non-remittance of 15% pension deductions in most local governments. And he must  put an end to tax deductions at source on salaries yet-to-be paid to local government workers.”

They however   warned that they have resolved to embark on a strike action from Tuesday next week if the state government failed to address their grievances.