Civil servants in Ondo State began a two-day warning strike today to press home their demand for the payment of their two months salary arrears.
Some government offices in Akure, the state capital, were today locked while security men were sighted at the entrance to Governor’s Office and some ministries to prevent possible breakdown of law and order.
The leadership of the organised labour in the state on Tuesday directed workers to stay at home if the two months salaries promised by the government were not paid before the close of work.
To ensure total compliance, the labour leaders assembled as early as 7am today at the premises of the Ministry of Finance and moved from one premises to the other, including local government secretariats, hospitals, schools, ministries and parastatals in the state.
It was learnt that some of the workers received credit alerts of one month salary on Tuesday night.
The State Government has, however, described the strike as an embarrassment to the government and an unpatriotic act on the part of the workers since they had started receiving the July salary.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, condemned the action of the labour leaders, arguing that since the government had started the payment of two months salaries, there was no need for the strike.
Akinmade said, “There should be no need for strike. The Governor (Olusegun Mimiko) had directed that two months salaries should be paid; the workers should have exercised patience. The delay may be as a result of bank process.
“They should understand that the two months can not be paid at the same time; it has to take some time before the second month (credit alert) would be received, but I am sure that before the end of today (Wednesday), all of them would have received alerts for the two months.
“So, I see no reason why the workers should go on strike if they are not politically motivated.”
However, the State Chairman of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, Mr. Sunday Adeleye, alleged that the government only tried to divide the workers by paying net salary for the month of July to the core civil servants and secondary school teachers, but failed to pay council workers, primary school teachers and other categories of workers.
He accused the government of breaching the agreement reached with labour leaders at a meeting, where it was agreed that gross salaries of July and August and deductions for the month of June would be paid.