Workers’ Welfare: Effect Change in your Leadership now, CSCEOS tells Osun Workers

A civil rights group, the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) has advised the cross section of the State and Local government workers in the State to take the bull by the horn to effect the necessary change in the leadership of their unions, including Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE) and other affiliate unions, saying that their current leadership lacked sincere and moral capability to continue in office .

It however alleged that the present crop of Labour Unions leaders in the State have had a gentleman agreement with the State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola not to pay the outstanding of 18 months arrears of salaries and pensions to the affected workers and retirees alike in the State, stressing that they have compromised with the government to subdue the workers and pensioners interest and welfare.

It added that the Labour leaders had conspired with the State government under the watch of Aregbesola to divert the Paris Club refunds under the guise of ongoing white elephant projects which the State government had earlier borrowed huge amount of funds from local and international financial institutions to execute since 2012, 2013 and 2014 and this gargantuan borrowing lead to the financial quagmire facing the State in 2015 and 2016.

The CSCEOS Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, made this known on Monday, while addressing the members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners(NUP), Osun State chapter at their Internally Displaced Pensioners(IDP) camp, held at popular Olaiya Junction area, Osogbo, the State Capital, regretted that State labour leaders  were always in support of Aregbesola led government, while the workers and pensioners were wallowing in abject poverty due to non-payment of their nine(9) months backlog of salaries and pensions.

Comrade Sulaiman insisted that the Labour Leaders, including; Jacoob Adekomi of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Wakeel Amuda of Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT),Bayo Adejumo of Joint Negotiating Council(JNC), A. Adeyeye of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees(NULGE) and other leaders of the affiliate Union, including;one Gbenga Oyebode, were hobnobbing with Mr. Aregbesola, for their own  personal pocket benefits, calling for the disbandment of Comrade Hassan Sunmonu Allocation Apportionment Committee, noting that the Committee with Labour Leaders were good for nothing but to show their insensitivity to the workers and retirees plight in the State.

The high points  of the event which was graced by the CSCEOS Director, Media and Strategy, Bishop Seun Adeoye and Justice Olamide Folahanmi Oloyede who through her organization, the  Virtuous Unlimited and Justice Initiative, rendered free medical services to the retirees in the State.

He advised the pensioners in the State to continue with their legal and democratic means of pressurizing for their home demands of gratuities, stoppage of half pension allowances and payment outstanding 18 months half pension allowances by the State government, described Aregbesola as an embezzler gladiator who needs to be confronted with brigandage approach, lambasting the Labour leaders for conniving with Aregbesola not to declare the true monthly payment figure of the State since after the September 2015 Workers and Retirees Screening exercise.

According to him; “This is high time for the workers in Osun State to replace their current crop of their Labour Union leadership in the NLC, NUT, NULGE, JNC and other affiliate unions, because they have mortgaged the welfare of workers and retirees for their personal pocket. The Labour leaders have conspired with Mr. Rauf Aregbesola not to pay the 9month of backlog of workers’ salaries and pensions’ allowances. It is our believe  that the power of any Labour union belongs to their workers.

“It is our candid advice to Comrade Hassan Sunmonu led- 17 Man Allocation Apportionment Committee and other members of the Committee that still has  integrity to resign from the Kangorro Committee that is toothless bulldog which can only bark but cannot bite. Hassan Sunmonu Committee is good as nothing because all its decisions are not bund on the State Government under the watch of Aregbesola and their failure to declare the total amount be of categories of funds; including; meager monthly allocations, monthly Local Government Allocations, Budget Support funds, Ecological Funds, Internally Generated Revenue  Funds, Bailout funds  and so on, being received by the State Government from the Federal Government, and how it was expended  since the last fourteen months of the existence of the Committee and the State government still continue with their payment of modulated half salaries. Who is fooling who? ”.

Signed:
Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman,
Chairman, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS)