Kogi State government, yesterday, declared its readiness to
ensure the industrial peace enjoyed in the state was not threatened by any
industrial action by organized labor...
The statement is coming on the heels of
threat by labour to go on an indefinite strike in seven days time, if July
salary was not paid and government failed to rescind its decision on the clock-
in clock-out system recently introduced for civil servants.Director General to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo,
said all measures will be put in place to ensure workers continue to carry out
their legitimate duties to the people of the state. He said: “We received a
letter from some people who claimed to be speaking for our workforce. None of
the signatories to the letter was a civil servant. “This is a clear departure
from the communications we have had with the organised labour. As a responsible
government, we are duty bound to investigate the actual source of the letter
because the language, tone and content of the letter are at complete variance
with our understanding and relationship with labour.” “The two main demands of
labour are the repudiation of the clock-in-clock-out system to stem the menace
of truancy and ghost workers. At the last meeting with the Governor, labour
agreed with government on the need to put the system in place in order to
ensure effective and efficient service delivery to the people. “The feedback we
are getting from the system is quite impressive and truancy is gradually becoming
a thing of the past in the state. But rather than hail the introduction of the
system; ‘labour’ has come out to clearly backtrack on their earlier agreement.
“This is the more reason we need to investigate the letter to determine its
source. Leaders of workers are expected to be highly informed and enlightened
enough to know that the system is not tantamount to casualisation of the civil
service. “It will be unfortunate if any responsible union will want to stop
what will be of service to the people and a massive advantage to the workers
they claim to lead. “Labor leaders must show deep patriotism and responsibility
to the people they are employed to serve. They must not kill a system because
they feel it will expose their unwillingness to report to their duty posts.
Leaders must lead by example at all times.’’
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