The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Emmanuel Bankole, disclosed that workers in Ogun State have commenced a one-week warning strike over the failure of the government to implement the new minimum wage.
Bankole declared this after a three-hour closed-door meeting held between the leadership of organised labour and government officials which ended deadlock.
The closed-door meeting with the government had in attendance the leadership of the organised labour which comprises NLC, Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiating Council.
The workers had earlier on Tuesday stormed the governor’s office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta to protest against the failure of the government to begin payment of the new minimum wage and pension reform bill among others.
However, reports have it that the workers had given the state government a 14-day ultimatum to commence the payment of new minimum wage failure of which they vowed to embark on the strike, an ultimatum which expired Wednesday.
Bankole who addressed journalists after the meeting said the meeting ended in a deadlock hence the one-week industrial action.
According to Bankole, some of the demands included the abolition of the pension reform bill, the payment of gratuities, payment of an outstanding six years leave allowances, three years promotion and 134 months unpaid pension.
Reacting, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Public Affairs, Remmy Hazzan, expressed shock over the warning strike.
Hazzan admitted that the organised labour stated legitimate demands, but insisted that the financial status of the state makes it incapable to implement the minimum wage.
He, however, said the government would continue to engage the workers in order to resolve the issue to avoid plunging the state into industrial disharmony.
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