Pensioners in Osun State, under the aegis of the Forum of 2011/2012 Retired Public Servants, staged a protest on Monday against Governor Ademola Adeleke over the non-implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage.
The protesters, carrying placards with various inscriptions, gathered at Ogo-Oluwa, demanding compliance with a court judgment mandating the payment of N18,000, instead of the current N9,000 being paid.
Speaking to journalists, the group’s leader, Comrade Yemi Lawal, criticized the state government for failing to honor the Industrial Court ruling delivered on October 5, 2017.
He explained: “This is not the first time we are protesting. Since 2014, we have been agitating for our entitlements to be in conformity with the N18,000 minimum wage. Unfortunately, the government has defied this by paying only N9,000.
“The fact is that in 2010, former President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law N18,000 minimum wage. When the new retirement scheme was introduced for contributory pensioners, they gave us two options. They asked if we wanted to stay and be part of the new minimum wage or go.
“We were in the service in March 2011 when N18,000 was signed into law by former governor Rauf Aregbesola for Osun workers. Aregbesola, then, said officers from grade level 1 to 7 would begin to enjoy the new wage as from March that same year, and he complied and paid arrears.
“However, he said senior officers from grade level 8 and above would start getting the new N18,000 minimum wage by August 2011, but he didn’t implement it.
“In 2012, the government of Aregbesola went to industrial court in Lagos but the court did not rule in it favour and directed that the government to obey the agreement signed.”
He lamented that Aregbesola failed to implement the agreement until they retired in December 2012.
“Recently, N70,000 was approved as new minimum wage and we felt it will bring succour to our members but only N25,000 was approved accross board. Presently, some pensioners are earning less than N3,000 per month.”
(Nation)
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