Osun asks NLC to Authenticate Claims over Unpaid Salaries from State Council

Osun State government has asked the Nigeria Labour Congress to allow its state council to provide it with reliable and verifiable information about the government/ workers relationship to avoid falling into the error of generalising its alleged anti-workers’ posture by some states.

Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, said in a statement that if the national office of the NLC had made efforts to get the accurate information on the state of affairs between the workers and the state government, it would not have listed Osun among states which must be served ultimatum over unpaid salaries.

“We find it curious that at a time that the state council of the NLC which is the umbrella body of many of the trade unions has initiated a move to partner with the state of Osun on how to sustain the state as a result of falling allocation from the Federation Account, the national office is singing discordant tunes by erroneously listing the state among states with “anti-workers” postures.

“May we inform the NLC that workers in Osun can attest to the unparalleled pro-workers disposition of this government right from inception. At a time when many states had started owing their workers up to five months salaries, Osun, despite its very meagre allocation as the 34th on the allocation ladder then, had continued to meet its obligations by paying as at when due. We can say categorically that no state in Nigeria can boast of the records of paying salaries by 26th of every month before the pang of their painful reductions in allocation began to bite harder,” the statement added.

Setting the records straight, the statement denied Osun owing up three month salaries as contained in the allegation by the NLC, saying if the state had paid up to October at least, it would be wrong for the NLC to conclude Osun is among states owing “between three to eight months salaries.”

While advising the NLC to verify its claims from the state council, it reminded the congress that Osun had a rich history of pro-workers dispositions which had been attested to by all workers in the state.