WORKERS’ UNIONS IN THE LAGOS STATE-OWNED MEDIA ORGANISATIONS EMBARK ON A THREE-DAY WARNING STRIKE 13-01-25
By Sadiq Aminu Workers’ unions in the Lagos State-owned media organisations has embarked on a three-day warning strike, protesting non-payment of minimum wage and non-inclusion in the state Oracle database.
The workers under the umbrella of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Worker’s Union (RATTAWU) of the Lagos State Broadcasting Corporations, shut down operations over anti- Labour practices.
The workers comprising staff of Lagos Television, Radio Lagos/EKO FM, and Lagos Traffic Radio, said that the proposed strike has become imperative over state government deviance to their demands.
The workers, who rallied round their various premises, sang different solidarity songs for hours, being thrilled by a musical band.
The protesting workers hoisted placards with different inscriptions to press home their demands.
These include: “Give us Oracle and take the revenue generated”, “Palliatives and Subventions are not working”, “Oracle is the answer”, and “All we need is Oracle! Save our today and secure our future”.
Others are: ” Non implementation of new minimum wage is anti-labour”, “Minimum wage, a must! Our sweat is drying up”, “Save us from career stagnation and “LTV, Radio Lagos, Traffic Radio are not liability, we are asset to the government”.
Speaking to newsmen, the Lagos State NUJ Chairman, Mr Adeleye Ajayi, said that the media workers demanded fair treatment and wages for being at the centre of promoting government policies.
He said that both the NUJ and RATTAWU had given different ultimatums and had exercised enough patience for the government to accede to the workers’ union which included payment of new minimum wage and inclusion in the Oracle database for salary payment.
“Both NUJ and RATTAWU are quite aware of this. We have given different ultimatums- a 10-day ultimatum, a 21-day ultimatum and the last and final one, was a seven-day ultimatum.
“I think these are ultimatums of grace for the state government to accede to the requests of our members.
“Our members are very committed, they are very dedicated, they are very patriotic, they have no closing hours, and I think they should be well remunerated.
“Our members should be integrated to the Oracle database. Oracle database is like the IPPIS system in the Federal Civil Service that creates a seamless way of paying workers’ salaries and other benefits,” Ajayi said.
According to him, the government should look into the issue of minimum wage which is being enjoyed by other state workers.
“Our workers here are not benefiting from the minimum wage like all other state workers. Workers of the state broadcast corporations should benefit from the minimum wage.
“In the last three or five months, they have not benefited a dime from the minimum wage. And this should not be the case,” he said.
Ajayi said that the state government should become more media-friendly and attend to the needs of the media so that the media could further propagate the policies and activities of the state government.
While expressing optimism that the state executive council would address the issues, Ajayi said that it the demands were not met, both unions would graduate into and indefinite strikes.
“The welfare is very paramount. They have thousands of dependants, and they have to cater for their dependants. We cannot afford to lose any of our members to poverty.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Chairman of RATTAWU, Mr Ishola Adejumo, said that every worker deserved due wages for effectiveness and efficiency.
Adejumo said that workers in the state-owned media, despised doing one of the hardest to jobs had not been enjoying the N85,000 minimum wage approved by the state government.
Adejumo said: “This is premised on the fact that the running of these stations is based on IGR (Internally Generated Revenue). This determines what they will do with salaries and other expenses.
“To us, this is no longer sustainable.
“For the past 12 years or thereabout, we have been demanding for migration of the workers here to Oracle database to guarantee regular payment of workers’ salaries and other benefits, along with other counterparts in the ministry, yet this has not been done.
“The media are essential service, promoting the policies and programmes of government. Why should we be short-changed?
“So, we are calling on the government and all the agencies concerned to migrate workers here to Oracle. Once they migrate them, we disperse and every problem will be solved.
According to him, if the government refused to heed the demands after the three- day warning strike, the unions Wil restructure and go on indefinite.