The government of Osun State recently proposed a staff audit of workers in the state, a move which has been met with resistance from the Joint Labour Movement in the state. The group, made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress in Osun State, has rejected the audit, citing past experiences of hardship experienced by workers and pensioners after similar audits were conducted.
Sally Tibbot Consulting, a consulting firm hired by the state government, has been circulating forms among workers to count the number of workers on the state’s payroll. However, the Joint Labour Movement has rejected the move, calling it illegal and demanding to be briefed on the exercise before it proceeds.
In a letter addressed to the Head of Service, the leadership of the Joint Labour Movement stated its position, saying, “That the Joint Labour Movement in the state rejects in its entirety, the circulation of the purported illegal forms by Sally Tibbot Consulting. That, considering the past experiences of Osun workers in exercises of this nature, the entire Joint Labour Movement in the state totally rejects any form of contractual agreement or consultancy service(s) that will further bring untold hardship on the workers and pensioners of Osun State.”
Adebowale Adekola, the chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Osun State, stated in an interview with The that while the government had the right to conduct a staff audit, the labour leaders had a responsibility to protect the rights of workers. He stated his dissatisfaction with the fact that the Joint Labour Movement had not been properly briefed before the circulation of the audit forms.
In rejecting the staff audit, Osun State workers are sending a strong message to the government that they will not tolerate any further hardship. The government must be transparent and seek the input of the workers and their representatives in designing any audit or other exercise that will affect the welfare of the workers and pensioners of the state.
