With five days to Christmas, many civil servants in Ogun State are in forlorn conditions, bemoaning the non-payment of their November salary by Governor Dapo Abiodun-led government.

The aggrieved workers, in a scathing statement issued through the organised labour in the state, decried the recently introduced staggered salary payment model, noting that they are yet to receive their November pay in December. 

The statement jointly signed by the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) chairman, Isa Olude and secretary Oloyede Olayemi on Tuesday was obtained by Peoples Gazette. 

“Incidence of staggered salary payment of the Ogun State Civil/Public Service workforce, obviously, is at its climax. For a long time to come, November 2022 will remain indelible in our memories. Days in the Gregorian November have taken on new numbers 35th, 40th, 49th, etc, etc,” the statement read in part. 

In June 2022, the government workers through organised labour threatened to embark on strike to press home for their demands over five months of unpaid salary and arrears. 

The workforce had wondered why Mr Abiodun’s government would refuse to meet and engage the labour movement in the state even after its initial 21 days of warning strike. 

“It is unexplainable why the government will be holding 21 months deductions, what it translates to, is that, the government is owing Ogun State workers five months salary and we must put a stop to that,” Emmanuel Bankole, the Chairman of NLC in Ogun had told journalists. 

Commenting further in their statement, the leadership of the workers bemoaned the “staggering of payment” of salary since the month of July by Mr Abiodun’s government. 

They noted that their silence over the unpaid salary does not mean they have resorted to fate, noting: 

“Not that the Labour leadership had resigned to fate. Not at all. Sustained intense pressure with disguised threats of industrial disruption had all been deployed. 

“A letter detailing assessment and performance of the 29th June 2022 Memorandum of Action was sent to the State Government precisely on 2nd November 2022. Staggered payment of salary, which as observed, began with July salary, was inclusive,” the statement added. 

It also noted that each time “we reached out to the state government, counting up to no less than six times,” the authority continuously dissipated so much energy to dissuade the state-organised labour from mobilising the state government employees against their agonising experience. 

The Gazette made several attempts to reach the Secretary to the Ogun state government, Tokunbo Talabi, for comments but he was not responding to his calls. 

Kunle Somorin, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, however, denied the workers’ claims.

He asserted that civil servants in the state have been paid their November salary, adding that the government was already processing the December pay. 

“They (civil servants) have been paid. I’m also a worker in Ogun, and I have received my salary, even the December salary would be paid anytime from now,” the governor’s spokesman told The Gazette in an interview.