The Bayelsa State Government said on Friday, April 12, 2024, that it has approved the payment of N35,000 wage awards to civil servants in its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as a part of measures to cushion the effects of the excruciating economic hardship.
The Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this known when the leadership of the South-South Zone of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), led by its chairman, Bolum Martin, and vice chairman, Julius Laye, visited him in Government House, Yenagoa.
He explained in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, that the wage award which was approved by Governor Douye Diri is in line with the Federal Government’s appeal to the states to utilise funds from oil subsidy removal to ameliorate the economic hardship facing workers.
Ewhrudjakpo said the Head of the State Civil Service, Mrs Biobelemoye Charles-Onyeama, had been directed to work out modalities for the payment of the N35,000 wage awards to all civil servants on the state government payroll.
Describing the civil service as the engine room for the implementation of government’s programmes and policies, he assured the TUC leaders that the Diri-led administration would continue to take the welfare of civil servants seriously.
He also assured the TUC of government’s support and encouragement where necessary to meet their goals and promote a healthy industrial relations in the state, south-south region and the country at large.
The deputy governor, however, urged the two major labour centres in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the TUC, to always work together in the interest of workers and the entire citizenry.
He said, “The effectiveness of any government is the civil service. And so, anybody who disorganises, disregards, undermines and fails to recognise the civil service, that person is only doing so to promote his or her own intention to fail in government or governance.
“Civil servants are the people that implement the programmes and policies of government. In fact, they run with the vision of government. That is why we take our civil service very seriously here.
“And our civil servants are also very supportive. They have always supported us as a government. So, we don’t joke with matters affecting them. As we speak, we are not owing our workers.
“Like the wage award you mentioned, I want you to know that the Governor has already approved the wage awards for civil servants in the state. Soon after this meeting, the Head of Service will get the approval and start working on it.”
Earlier in his remarks, the chairman of TUC, South-South zone, Bolum Martin, acknowledged the labour-friendly disposition of the Diri-led administration, noting that Bayelsa is among the few states that had extended the payment of the 30 percent minimum wage to local government employees.
Martin, who is also the Delta State chairman of TUC, also lauded the state government for taking the lead on payment of call duty allowance to health personnel, wage awards to local government workers, and for creating a conducive work environment.
He informed the deputy governor that the TUC chairmen and secretaries of the south-south states were in Bayelsa for their zonal meeting ahead of the National Executive Council meeting next month.
