May 1, (THEWILL) – Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has set up a five-man committee, headed by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei, to look into the possibility of domiciling the federal government minimum wage in the state.
Other members of the Committee which include the head of service, the commissioner for finance, the chief of staff, government house and the commissioner for labour, employment and productivity are to submit their report by the end of this month.
Governor Diri, who disclosed this while addressing workers in his May Day Speech at the Peace Park, Yenagoa, the state capital, said already workforce in Bayelsa State have been receiving salaries and wages at par mostly with only workers of the federal government of Nigeria.
The governor assured the state workers that he will not announce a wage increase and will not implement it.
He said: “I am not unaware of the challenges that we all are face as workers and the demand for increase in minimum wage and we have been waiting patiently to hear from the committee set up by the federal government that also included the chairman of the Governor’s Forum but having heard from the federal government, I hereby set up a committee of the Head of Service, Commissioner of Finance, the Chief of Staff, Government House, the Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity to be headed by the Secretary of the Government, SSG, to immediately looked into what the federal government has done and see the possibility of domiciling it in Bayelsa State.
“This Committee is given up to the end of this month May to submit their report. We have some governors that have said that their own minimum wage will be N70,000. We want to work on why our own should be in any figure particularly against the background that our workforce in Bayelsa State have been receiving salaries and wages at par mostly with only the federal government of Nigeria.
“So we are not equating ourselves with any other state for now we want to work out modalities and reality so that our finances will carry and as you know me I will not announce a wage increase and will not implement it.”
In their joint address, the leadership of Nigerian Labour Congress,NLC, comrade Simon Banabas and Trade Union Congress ,TUC, comrade Laye Julius, called on the state governor senator Douye Diri to recalled the primary school teachers that were unjustly sacked in 2016 by the previous administration.
The duo made the call during this year May Day at the Peace Park opposite government house Yenagoa the state capital.
According to them, while some staff of tertiary institutions in the state with similar issue have been graciously recalled, the primary School teachers are still wallowing in abject poverty.
Part of their demand include the payment of outstanding salary arrears to the reinstated workers at the Niger Delta University and other higher institutions in the state.
Others include training and promotion of state forestry officers in the ministry of environment. Approval for implementation of promotion/increment from 2019 to 2023 for tertiary institutions.
They also requested for the timely payment of salaries to primary school teachers and pensioners. Weigh in allowance for media workers working with the state House of Assembly amongst others.
The theme of this year Labour Day was “People First”.
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
