The Veteran Labour
Leader, and the Chairman Osun Revenue Apportionment Committee, Comrade Hassan
Sunmonu has said that the Modulated Salary initiative was the best option as at
the time it was adopted. In an interview, Sunmonu said the first option was for
workers to go on strike and paralyse the state, which would have a bad
consequence on the workers and the people, the second option was to sack
workers if full salaries would be paid, while the third option was the
modulated salary arrangement. According to him, the first and second options
would not be tenable to any sincere labour leader or trade unionist. The labour
leader hinted that the arrears of the modulated salary would be paid when the
economy of the state is buoyant, saying the government was already saving the
money for that purpose and has shown commitment to the payment of the arrears.
“We had three options; you have to consider your options when you are a leader.
You must consider the consequences of every action and go for the most suitable
one. “The NLC in Osun had the option to go on strike and paralyse the state,
but what consequence would that have on the people and the workers themselves?
The second option was that if the full salaries would be paid, government would
be forced to sack some workers. We all know the unemployment situation and its
effects in Nigeria. “If the NLC went for the first option, Aregbesola would
remain governor because you cannot depose him, but the people, including the
workers would suffer. If the second option was taken, what would be the fate of
those who would lose their jobs? Don’t forget that when you sack one worker,
about 10 people will suffer for it because he has a family. “The third option
was to consider the resources of the government and decide what could be done
to accommodate everybody. “We did not want anybody to be sacked, so we said
that workers from level 1 to 7 would be getting their full salaries while those
from level 8 to 17 would earn half. When the government becomes buoyant they
will take the arrears. The government was saving the money for those guys
because they will surely take their arrears. “I told the governor that he must
pay the money when the economy of the state improves and we asked if the state
would be able to pay full salaries if government’s internally generated revenue
could go up to N5billion monthly. The governor said yes, but the internally
generated revenue of the state has not come close to that since then. “When the
governor got the Paris Club refunds, he reviewed the pay of those on level 8 to
level 12. Therefore, only the very senior workers whose salaries are huge are
taking half now, and they will surely get their arrears when the state becomes
buoyant. That is still better than sacking half of the workforce in Osun. “We
realised that workers’ salaries is their most fundamental right, you must not
deny a worker his pay, but the situation in Osun required pragmatic leadership
and define wisdom to handle. Before the economic meltdown, Governor Aregbesola
was paying the 13th month salary to Osun workers”, Hassan restated.
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