By ENI SAMUEL
An early morning protest by the Ondo state government workers
temporarily disrupted government activities on Monday as entrances to the state
secretariat were locked by the protestors.
The workers, who staged peaceful protest against a
Contributory Pension Scheme Bill proposed by the state government, started
their agitation around 7.30 am as they locked all government complexes and
prevented government businesses from running.
They also marched to the State House of Assembly complex on
Igbatoro road, Akure to register their disapproval of the bill forwarded to the
lawmakers by the state Governor Olusegun Mimiko recently.
The state government’s employees had, last week, threatened
to block all the roads leading to the state Assembly complex and ensure that no
one gained access to the venue of the Public hearing on the bill which was
slated for Monday.
They equally vowed to use every other legal means within their
might to fight the government, if it began the commencement of implementation
of the scheme without involving them in the policy formulation process.
In a letter written by the Joint Negotiation Committee (JNC),
the workers described the scheme as a fraudulent means of enslaving the entire
workforce in the state.
They alleged that the Office of the Head of Service of the
state was colluding with the state government to enslave the state government workers.
The workers noted that the circular issued by the state
government on 4th March, 2014 had showed the true colour of the present administration
in the state, which they said had been full of policy pretension and not
genuinely disposed to workers welfare.
Ondo JNC maintained that the law establishing the scheme
allows it to be domesticated by each state with input from stakeholders, especially
workers in the state public service.
The workers challenged the government to show proof of
evidence that it was fully prepared to pay its own monthly share of the
contribution as well as the actual valuation before implementation could
commence in the State.
They said this was necessary to avoid the ugly scenario
whereby employers in some states allegedly did not only refuse to pay their own
share, but embezzled the amount contributed by workers.
But the Ondo State Head of Service, Toyin Akinkuotu, later
came to the assembly complex to address the workers to douse tension.
According to him, the contributory pension scheme is a
matter of law which was enacted in 2004 with the aim to assist the entire
workers in the country to save towards their retirement day.
"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".
Akinkuotu pleaded with the labour union that the proposal of
government on the scheme would take off as soon as the economy of the state
improves, promising that the government will be faithful on its part.
He stated that government will increase its contribution,
saying government will be paying 12:5% (Five Percent) as bound.
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