2 hours ago
4
Members of the Forum of 2011/2022 retired public servants of Osun State have appealed to the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to obey the judgement of the National Industrial Court and pay their pension, gratuity, and terminal benefits in accordance with the N18,000 minimum wage.
The retired civil servants said, while giving background to the issue, they accused former governor Rauf Aregbesola of failing to implement the N18,000 minimum wage for officers in levels 8–17, a situation that led them to the industrial court.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Monday, the chairman of the forum, Comrade Omoniyi Ilesanmi, said Aregbesola failed to pay them the N18,000 minimum wage when they were still in active service in 2011.
Ilesanmi said the affected retired civil servants approached the court, adding that the court ruled in their favour in the case numbered, NICN/AK/54/2014.
He added that after the judgement, a letter was written to the then-governor to implement the court judgement, but with no positive result.
The forum chairman urged Governor Adelek to implement the court judgement without further delay.
“The N18,000.00 minimum wage came into effect on 1 March 2011 when we were still in the service of Osun State. The government of Ogbeni Raul Areghesola implemented the minimum wage for the officers on Grade Levels 01–07 from 1” March 2011 and promised to effect that of officers on Gi 8–17 as from 1 August 2011.
“The Governor did not fulfil his promise on the implementation of the wage increase for the officers on GL 8-17 Ogbeni Aregbesola waited till we retired en masse on 31 December 20017 before he signed another circular on the same 2011 agreement on 1 May 2013 to intentionally sidetrack us from benefiting from the new minimum wage.
“In 2014, we approached the National Industrial Court, Akure Division, to institute a legal procedure for our inclusion to enjoy the benefit through Suit No. NICN/AK/54/2014. Fortunately for us, a judgement was delivered in our court on 5th October 2017 with a cost of N50,000.00 awarded against the government.
“Our lawyers wrote a letter to the then governor to thank and appeal to him to implement the court order in the spirit of peaceful resolution of the matter. We even went on consultations with the stakeholders for amicable settlements, but our efforts did not yield any positive results.
“The present administration is a product of judicial pronouncements, and our dear governor is a direct beneficiary of the court process and rules all law. We believe, therefore, that he will act positively to defend and uphold the rule of law and obey the court order.
“For the sake of emphasis, we are not being used by any politician or political party as may be insinuated by a political jobber. We are imploring our amiable governor to see this press conference as a clarion call to him to obey the court order and uphold the rule of law by implementing the judgement without further delay.”
READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
