Oyo pledges commitment towards solving salary backlog
Oyo State government says it is putting all machinery in place to offset outstanding workers salaries and ensure prompt payment thereafter.
This was contained in a statement by Toye Arulogun, commissioner for information, culture and tourism, in Ibadan on Thursday.
Government is concerned about the global economic situation, Arulogun said, adding that, the Abiola Ajimobi’s administration is resolute in making life easier and meaningful for the entire citizenry by meeting its obligations promptly.
The government meets regularly with the leadership of the workers’ unions in order to keep them abreast of the finances of the state and rub minds on scenarios that will provide solutions to the challenges, the commissioner said.
According to Arulogun, “at one of our meetings with the labour leaders, the government was commended and appreciated for its efforts at adhering to the terms reached during the last agreement despite the financial challenges. They (labour leaders) emphasised that payment before the last Eid celebration was a good gesture.
“Our government is very passionate about the welfare of workers and the people of the state in general. We are not comfortable with the situation of things in the state as well and we are already putting machineries in motion to resolve the non-payment of salaries.
“We know there is a lull in the economy but the situation is changing gradually and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Our Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) drive is yielding positive results. Without adequate resources for prompt payment of salaries, developmental projects will naturally suffer.
“We empathise with our people, we feel the pains too. Let our people be reminded that before now, we paid as and when due. We paid 13th month salary and we increased housing and car loans by a hundred percent (100%). Pensioners got one hundred and 42 percent increase with back log paid among many other welfarist schemes by Governor Ajimobi’s administration.”
He assured that the government would continue with its human-faced policies to ensure that citizens reap the dividends of democracy.