IBADAN -The Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC) in Oyo State, Mr. Nurudeen Arowolo has said that workers in the state are not at loggerheads with Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration over the issue of salaries.
Arowolo who stated this while speaking at a news conference said the clarification had become necessary in view of the rumours making rounds that civil servants and the state government were at each other’s throats over payment of salaries.
But despite the claim put up in defence of the state government , the Labour Leader admitted that the salaries of workers for the month of January was just being paid .
Arowolo also explained that three-month salary arrears of the newly-employed secondary school teachers had also been settled.
According to him, since it had not been in the habit of the Ajimobi administration to delay payment of salaries since 2011 when it came on board, workers should understand the situation.
He blamed the delay in the payment of the salaries to the dwindling federal allocation .
The labour leader then appealed to civil servants to bear with the state government over the delay in the payment of their salaries .
Maintaining that
“ In fact , this delay was due to the gross reduction in the allocation from the Federation Account”, the NJC Chairman further assured workers that February salaries would be paid by the state government as soon as the federal allocation for the month of February was released by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to the state.
Arowolo urged workers to be loyal to the government in power and avoid being partisan, in line with the civil service ethics.