By Abidemi Samuel
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Retired public servants in Osun State, under the Forum of 2011/2012 Retired Public Servants of Osun, have taken to the streets to demand the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage for retirees, as mandated by a court ruling ¹. The pensioners, who gathered at Ogo-Oluwa/Abere Road in Osogbo on Monday, were barred from accessing the governor’s office by security personnel. However, this did not deter them from voicing their demands.
According to the group’s leader, Yemi Lawal, the Osun State Government has neglected a ruling by the Industrial Court delivered on October 5, 2017, which approved the N18,000 minimum wage for retirees. Despite this, the government has continued to pay them only N9,000. Lawal expressed disappointment in Governor Ademola Adeleke, who he described as a beneficiary of judicial intervention. “The governor owes his mandate to the judiciary. Why then does he refuse to obey a simple court directive? This disregard for the law could lead to unrest,” he warned
The retirees are demanding the following:
Implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage: The group is calling on the state government to implement the minimum wage, which was approved by the Industrial Court in 2017.
Payment of arrears: The retirees are demanding payment of the difference between N9,000 and N18,000, which they have been denied for years.
Adjustment of pensions and gratuities: The group is calling for an adjustment of their monthly pensions and gratuities, which have been unpaid since 2013.
The retirees also criticized the state government’s recent announcement of a N25,000 relief payment to retirees, calling it insufficient. “What can N25,000 buy in this economy? It’s not even enough for basic needs,” Lawal argued.
The group has appealed to the Attorney General of the Federation and other stakeholders to intervene in ensuring the Osun State government complies with the court ruling. They argued that the delay in implementing the minimum wage adjustment violates their constitutional rights.
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