Sam Philip
Workers Ondo State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS) on Thursday shut offices of the establishment over non-implementation of the new minimum wage.
The placard-displaying protesters, who are mostly workers at lower cadre, barricaded access road to the offices in the Igbatoro Road axis forcing motorists and commuters to take a detour.
Among their grievances is that the new minimum wage was crafted in favour of the senior executive of the establishment more than the junior staff.
The workers, therefore, vowed to boycott duties until their demands are met.
They alleged that they were ignored by the management of ODIRS when they presented their grievances, particularly non-implementation of the newly approved minimum wage by the state government.
Besides, they also alleged members of the management of embezzlement.
The workers, therefore, called on the state government to give their demands urgent attention.
Reacting to the development, the Special Adviser to the governor on Union Matters, Comrade Bola Taiwo, described the cause of the protest as a minor issue
He assured that the demands would be attended to without delay.
The Special Adviser said: “This protest is a minor issue because all core civil servants, including local government employees, parliamentary staff, and political appointees, have received their salaries.
“The affected workers of the ODIRS are from the private sector, not public servants, but the governor directed yesterday that they should not be paid the old salary but the new minimum wage.
“We asked for their demands, but they provided none. We are unsure of the protest’s motivation. Normally, they should have submitted a formal letter of demand to the government.
“The governor, who is currently in Abuja, called some few minutes ago, instructing us not to force them out but to allow them to protest.
“The minimum wage approval will be signed within the next 30 minutes. There is no salary problem in Ondo State. If they have unresolved issues with their management, they need to present their demands formally.
“The governor was very concerned upon hearing about it yesterday, which is why he instructed us to be here early today.
“I arrived at 7am with representatives from all organized labor unions in the state. We came to listen and address them. When the Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) arrived, we reviewed the salary details, and the governor’s directive was signed immediately.
“We are here to communicate with them, pass necessary information, and resolve any outstanding management issues. This is the first time such a protest has happened, and we are ready to engage with them in good faith.”