EKITI WORKERS SHOULD SEE JKFS SINCERITY NOW.WHEN THIS LAW WAS ENACTED IN OUR STATE THIS STAKEHOLDER THINGS WAS ADHERED TO THE LATTER. Pensions: Workers protest paralyses govt business in Akure Activities at the various agencies of the Ondo State Government were on Monday paralysed as workers stormed the streets to protest the bill on the contributory pension scheme recently sent by Governor Olusegun Mimiko to the Ondo State House of Assembly. The protesting workers locked all government complexes as early as 7.30am, stalling all business of government throughout the day. After locking the offices, the workers marched to the state House of Assembly complex on Igbatoro Road, Akure, to register their protest. The workers had last week threatened to block every road leading to the assembly in order to prevent the public hearing that was scheduled to hold on the bill on Monday. They also vowed to resist the implementation of the scheme, arguing that they were not consulted before the move to introduce the scheme. A letter by the workers’ Joint Negotiation Committee, which was made available to our correspondent on Monday, alleged that the scheme was a fraudulent means of enslaving the entire workforce in the state. The letter, titled ‘Are We Safe In Our Own State?’ accused the Office of the Head of Service of the state of colluding with the state government to enslave the workers. The workers noted that the circular issued by the state government on March 4, 2014 had shown that the Mimiko administration had been full of policy pretensions and not genuinely disposed to workers welfare. The Ondo JNC said that the law establishing the pension contributory scheme allowed it to be domesticated by each state with input from stakeholders, especially workers in the state public service. Addressing the workers at the Assembly premises, the Ondo State Head of Service, Toyin Akinkuotu, explained that the contributory pension scheme was a matter of law, which was enacted in 2004 with the aim of assisting workers in the country to save towards their retirement. “We are proposing that Ondo State will now constitute their own Pension Commission which will coordinate every other existing pension board in the various state agencies and organisations,” the Head of Service told the protesters. Akinkuotu pleaded with the labour unions that the proposal of government on the scheme would take off as soon as the economy of the state improves, promising that the government would be faithful on its part. The Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon Dare Emiola, also told the workers that members of the Assembly would scrutinise the bill in order to ensure that it would serve the interest of the workers when passed into law.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 04:23:42 +0000
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