Their demands include an improved salary scale of doctors to corrected CONMESS which other health workers in the country have been enjoying since 2014.

Also listed are payment of new minimum wage to them as being enjoyed by other state workers since January 2020 and urgent  payment of their two years half salary arrears for January 2016 to December 2017.And others are installation, repair and maintainance of their sophisticated medical equipment for upmost service delivery, and employment of new staff as well as medical staff to lessen their burden.

The party’s scribe, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun  who made this call in a statement on Thursday in Ibadan, and made available to Mega Icon Magazine also noted that the demands of the resident doctors and the threat of strike have further exposed and made a mockery of all the so called achievements claimed by the government in the health sector in its one year in office. 

Adigun said the demands by the doctors have no doubt showed  that the claim of the implementation of the new minimum wage by Governor Makinde for all categories of civil servants in the state is not only sectional but also deceptive, alleging that most of the so-called achievements  are largely for the purpose of grandstanding and propaganda.

The statement read, “It is in a bid to avert this ugly situation that we hereby call on mass of the working people  in the State particularly the leadership of the two existing labour centre in the State; Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC to lend support to these demands of the resident doctors with a view to prevail on Engr Seyi Makinde-led government to accede to these demands without further delay. We also call on NMA and other health workers unions to solidarise with the doctors in their struggle.

“Beyond this is also to note that the demands of the resident doctors and the threat of strike have further exposed and made a mockery of all the so called achievements claimed by the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government in the health sector in its one year in office. Again, the demands by the doctors have no doubt showed  that the claim of the implementation of the new minimum wage by Engr Seyi  Makinde-led government for all categories of civil servants in the State is not only sectional but also deceptive.

“This has again underscored the SPN standpoint that most of the so-called achievements of Engr Seyi Makinde-led government are largely for the purpose of grandstanding and propaganda”.

The party, however urged the resident doctors not to limit   the ultimatum to just a media pronouncement, but should also commence immediate mobilisation and sensitisation of other categories of  health workers including the mass of Nigeria workers and the poor masses  across the state in order to win mass support for their demands and the strike should the Makinde led government  fails to accede to their demands.

The post Oyo SPN calls on Makinde to meet LAUTECH doctors’ demands, avert strike first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Oyo SPN calls on Makinde to meet LAUTECH doctors’ demands, avert strike appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

SPN condemned the decision of Governor Makinde  to impose and force on mass of poor but struggling commercial drivers and operators of motorcycles and tricycles in the state a newly established park management system, PMS and appointed park managers for the control and management of parks, and quarries across the state.

In a press release signed by its Secretary, Ayodeji Adigun, the party described the governor’s   decision as unlawful, stressing that it contravenes section 7(5) of the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

SPN scribe said, “According to this section, the control of the parks, markets, and abattoirs is stipulated to be the constitutional responsibility of the Local Government Council and not of the state government. It is only expected of the state government through the state house of assembly to enact a law that will enable the local government to effectively perform and carry out the stipulated function”.

In a related development,  the party faulted  the appointment of Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi as the chairman of the disciplinary committee of the PMS and some others describing them as ‘ known park thugs with proven records of criminal and violent activities’ . It added that their appointments as park managers clearly show that, the PMS in itself is a dubious agenda to return through the back door, the control and management of the motor parks, to the section of the park thugs that are loyal to the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government.

The statement  reads, ” Under this kind of arrangement one does not need to be a soothsayer to know that the exploitation, harassment including intimidation often suffered by mass of poor commercial drivers and operators of motorcycles and tricycles under the banned park thugs controlled NURTW will not only continue but deepen in multiple folds especially now that the PMS arrangement has provided an official and legitimate basis for the exploitation and extortion of poor road transport workers.

“SPN frown against the continuous proscription of NURTW. It is illegal and undemocratic.  We therefore demand the return of the NURTW that is democratically controlled by transport workers (registered commercial drivers and operators of bicycle and tricycle across the state) with guaranteed right to freedom of association and election of leadership devoid of imposition, force, violence and thuggery.

“While we recognize that the operation of the banned NURTW under the control and management of the park thugs is condemnable in all ramification, we do not believe that dastardly and criminal acts of a few known park thugs should be a strong reason to continue to deny other willing law abiding commercial drivers and operators of tricycles and motorcycles their fundamental right to association and peace assembly for an adequate defense and protection of both their economic and political rights.

“NURTW like other trade union organizations like NUT, NULGE is a registered union by the law and intended to be a union for interested road transport workers for the defense and protection of their interest.  As it is obtainable in other trade unions, members are meant to pay dues and democratically direct the affairs of the union through popular participation such as meetings, congresses etc. Proceeds realized from such dues are meant to be subjected to democratic and open administration of members through the co-ordination of their elected representatives strictly for the purpose of achieving the goal of the union.

“Neither is the proceeds realized from the dues paid by road workers meant for the advancement of the self-serving interest of the few individuals as we used to have it under the proscribed thugs controlled NURTW nor a means of generating revenues for the government as being proposed by Engr seyi Makinde-led government that will be largely stolen by the privileged few.

“SPN rejects the argument by the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government that the range of levies planned to be imposed on poor commercial drivers and operators of motorcycle and tricycles are meant to boast the IGR of the state. If the transport operators are to be charged levies, such policy will have to be discussed with local government authorities and the transport operators with the aim of arriving at a levy/tax that is progressive and affordable, and such revenue generated are to be democratically transparently managed by government and transport operators for the purpose of developing the state and not to enrich the privileged few. We also demand that all big business owners and billionaires in the state many of who are currently enjoying tax holiday must be progressively taxed in order to raise some fund to finance public utilities.

“The SPN therefore charges the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government that if truly it is interested to curb the usual violent activities that often associated with NUTRW, the solution is neither by the proscription of the union nor the establishment of unlawful management system but to severe its relationship with park thugs with known criminal and violent records in the state with a view to arrest them and prosecute them in accordance with the law”, its continued.

Adigun, however  called on the state leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to initiate discussion with the state government with a motive to request all necessary logistics including provision of security that will be needed to convene a congress of all legitimate road workers in the state to democratically elect a new leadership for the union as a step to begin to reconstitute the union in the state.

The post Restore Democratically Elected NURTW, Not ‘Park Thugs’, Oyo SPN Tells Makinde first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Restore Democratically Elected NURTW, Not ‘Park Thugs’, Oyo SPN Tells Makinde appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

While evaluating the reported achievements of the governor within his first 100 days, the SPN, also expressed dissatisfaction over contracting the purchase of free books rather than empowering state printing press to guarantee sustainable supply of books and generating more employment.

Makinde had earlier declared N48 billion assets three months ago. The SPN said knowing what the governor earns as security vote would further show his seriousness to engender transparency and accountability in government.

Speaking at a press briefing to evaluate Governor Makinde’s 100 days in office, its State secretary, Ayodeji Adigun, urged the governor to remove the veil covering security votes in Nigeria and submit it for proper democratic management and control.

The SPN further charged Makinde to address unemployment and raging poverty hitting the state.

The party, however calls for collaborative probe committee to be set up to facilitate the recovery of looted funds by past administrations in the state

The post 100 days: Oyo SPN expresses dissatisfaction, asks Makinde to declare his security vote first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post 100 days: Oyo SPN expresses dissatisfaction, asks Makinde to declare his security vote appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.