FUEL PRICE HIKE: ONDO TO MITIGATE EFFECTS ON WORKERS TRANSPORTATION- HEAD SERVICE ODUSANYA
Ondo State Government has said arrangements are ongoing to mitigate the effects of the current high cost of transportation resulting from the recent hike in pump price of fuel across the country.
The State Head of Service, Chief Segun Odusanya dropped the hint on Wednesday while receiving Joint Negotiating Council, JNC leadership in the state on a courtesy visit to his office in Akure, the state capital.
Responding to the agitations of the council bothering on the welfare of workers, Odusanya said arrangements were on the top gear to ease workers’ transportation to and from work with the procurement of CNG buses to be conveying workers.
The Head of Service recalled that the State Governor, Dr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, just last week, approved increment in the Car and Housing Loans for workers in the state in addition to injecting additional half a billion naira into the schemes as well as increasing the Tour Duty Allowances, DTA payable to workers on official duties within and outside the state or the country.
According to him, the government was also working on a comprehensive housing scheme which would enable workers to own houses of their own under mortgage arrangements which would be a departure from the present situation where workers struggle for staff quarter which they would have to relinquish after retirement.
Odusanya also assured the council that efforts were on to employ workers to fill critical vacancies across the service to ensure proper succession as older workers retire from the service yearly.
Other areas he said the government was looking at to improve the welfare of workers include timely yearly promotion of deserving workers, provision of subsidised building materials for workers among other things.
While using the occasion to appreciate Gov. Aiyedatiwa for his worker-friendly posture, he expressed optimism that all other pending agitations of council would be addressed by the governor, who he said consistently prioritizes workers’ wellbeing.
Earlier in his address, the State Chairman of JNC, Comrade Segun Ajiboye thanked the governor for all his welfare packages for the workforce and the recent upward review loans and allowances.
Ajiboye, in his position paper presented at visit, however advocated for prompt payment of the year 2026 Leave Bonus for workers, early commencement of 2027 promotion processes, recruitment of workers, implementation new minimum wage, palliative on the high fuel price amount other agitations.
