Civil Servants Groan Under Unpaid 17 Months Salary Deductions

Workers have cried out over their unpaid salary deductions, saying, “We are dying”, to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.

The workers under the Salary Earners’ Co-operative Thrift and Credit Union Limited alleged that Gov Abiodun had refused to pay their 17 months outstanding co-operative deductions.

Monthly, workers who are members of the Ogun State Salary Earners’ Co-operative Thrift and Credit Union Limited, save a percentage of their salaries with the union.

It was learnt that the money is to be deducted by the state government and paid to the union on behalf of the workers.

However, the union said 17 months of the deductions were not remitted by the State, making it difficult for workers to access their voluntary savings and to obtain loans.

The cooperative union, in a statement jointly signed by its President, Bodude Tanimola and the General Manager, Sunday Ajayi, begged Abiodun to stop the unwarranted deaths caused by the non-payment of their entitlements.

The union lamented that children of many of its members have dropped out of school over their parents’ inability to fund their education.

According to the union, the unremitted co-operative deductions had run into billions of Naira.

The union leaders expressed dissatisfaction that many letters written to Gov Abiodun, the Head of Service and others were ignored.

The statement read in part: “There is the inability of our members to take care of their immediate and extended family’s welfare.

“There is also the inability to give out loans to our co-operative members.

“We appeal to the Executive Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun to look into the 17 months Co-operative deductions outstanding owed our members, to reduce the number of deaths recorded among our members.”

Governor Abiodun has on many occasions promised to make workers’ welfare a priority.

During the 2021 Workers Day celebration at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta, the Governor promised to clear the deductions, but the workers said nothing has been done since then.

According to them, Abiodun inherited zero unremitted cooperative deductions, but has since championed owing 17 months since he assumed office in 2019.

The Governor was accused of paying lip service to the full payment of workers’ salaries.