OGUN WORKERS’ WORSENING CONDITION: Ademola Benco-led NLC state council must be prepared to lead struggles for Improvement

Despite the obvious attempts at grandstanding and propaganda by the Dapo Abiodun APC-led Ogun government, the conditions of workers and ordinary have become worse off under this administration.

By Eko John Nicholas, Coordinator, CDWR, Ogun State

Glaringly, workers in the state are still suffering from  the non-remittance of deductions from salaries for cooperative; poor implementation of the national minimum wage; haughty refusal to conduct promotion exercise across board despite being overdue; non remittance of pension deductions; unpaid gratuity; and the refusal to honor signed agreement with workers arising from the suspended 2022 general strike by workers, which clearly spelt out how these aforementioned demands were to be met within the shortest possible period.

However, Dapo Abiodun who had previously denounced the agreement, came around in his  desperation for re-election to purportedly pronounce a commitment to implement the signed documents! Labour and workers must not be deceived by the antics but be prepared to struggle to force the government to implement the agreement.

So, we urge the new leadership of the NLC to come up with a program of mass actions  including peaceful protests, rallies, press conferences, symposia picketing and even strike. We are of the opinion that it is not likely that an approach of fraternizing with the government, under the guise of collaboration and industrial harmony in the state, as well as making numerous courtesy calls to government officials, in the name of consultations alone, will work in the interest of workers.

Indeed, we call on Hameed Ademola Benco-led NLC state council to expand the demands beyond the aforementioned issues afflicting workers. The demands should also include: adequate funding of education and health care at all levels; building of quality low cost housing for workers; provision of quality infrastructure across the state and establishing adequately equipped and democratically controlled public works to execute projects as against the prevailing fraudulent contract system.