Ogun Strike: PDP group condemns brutality on Labour leaders, sympathises with workers
Peoples Democratic Party Action Movement, PAM, a group that is working for the socio-eonomic wellbeing and overall development of Ogun state has condemned the arrest of the leaders of the labour in Ogun State. In a release signed by Alh. Lukman Adunmo, Publicity Secretary, Ag. said it is barbaric and unacceptable that some Labour leaders carrying out their demonstrations due to the government’s failure to remit their co-operative deductions are being attacked by agents of the government.
As this continues to dominate the socio-political discourse in Ogun, PAM said “it will be a disservice to the good people of the state and the entire civil service not to react to the happenings in the state particularly as it concerns the workers”.
The group said “it’s inhuman and insensitive for the highly productive and dedicated workforce of the State to be so brutalized and arrested simply because the leaders of the labour movement are demanding for what rightfully belong to them which the Senator Ibikunle Amosun led government has unlawfully withheld for over a period of 7months”.
The PDP group said “It is very pathetic to wake up to the reality of a total ground to a halt of the government activities across the state from health services in public hospitals, public schools and activities in and around the Judiciary as these have permeated into other sectors of the state including petty trading. This ugly development has culminated into a sudden collapse of various economic and commercial activities within Ogun state, as all spheres of our socio-economic life have been halted and dealt with by this avoidable strike action embarked upon by the state workforce”.
“While we sympathize with the entire Labour force over the hardship they are being subjected to by the government, we offer our strong solidarity to them as a concerned group. We stand with them in their genuine struggle geared towards a robust civil service engagement, which will pave way for a better and efficient delivery of their duties to our state government and the general public at large”.
The group further berated the State Government over the prioritizing of cosmetic projects for its jamboree “Ogun at 40” celebrations instead of the welfare of its workers.
“It is our believe that with the dwindling income of our nation and our state by extension, the government should set its priorities right by not engaging in “owambe cosmetic projects and programmes” such as the recent wasteful 40 years Anniversary Celebration, where huge amount of money that could have been channelled to address issues surrounding the reasons behind the ongoing workers strike was wasted on needless activities, which to us, serves as an avenue where old projects were recommissioned in a futile bid to hoodwink the polity with their disguised junketeering party for President Buhari
“Unless Ogun State governor wants to convince us that it was not the same day that Ogun and Ondo were created as we all saw the 40th anniversary celebration of Ondo state which coincided with Gov. Mimiko’s 7 anniversary, it was a modest ceremony without excessive rolling out of drums and banqueting as our wasteful government did in Ogun State”
PDP Action Movement further stated that “It is on record that Ogun State government is owing the entire workforce of the state at least 7 months deductions from their emoluments which are meant for the workers cooperative society. This has put the workers in state of discomfort. We are also aware that every agreement reached with the state government has been reneged on by the government. The government in a meeting last month agreed with the workers to pay two months out of the outstanding deductions in the next three weeks and the remaining three months in the next two months. These we see as insensitivity on the part of the government towards the workers. The brutalization of the workers and the arrest of two (2) of the workers through the instruments of the state attest to this fact”.
The group as it sympathized with the state’s workers also enjoined them not to be intimidated. “It is also important for us to call on our ever resilient, dedicated and trustworthy labour leaders within the state not to subject themselves to any form of intimidation from the state government. They should be aware that all eyes are on them. There are countless dependents and stakeholders that would not be happy should the labour leaders compromise their stand under any pressure whatsoever, as we all crave for a better Ogun state”.
