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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Local government workers in Bayelsa State would soon heave a sigh of relief as the eight councils in the state have set modalities in motion to pay the new minimum wage and salary arrears owed council staff.
The workers including primary school teachers, non-academic staff and health personnel would also be paid their salary arrears from 2016 in monthly instalments with effect from this month.
These were part of resolutions taken at the end of an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting involving chairmen and principal officers of councils, labour union leaders, and some top government officials, which was presided over by the State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, in Government House, Yenagoa.
It was also resolved at the meeting which lasted for about three hours that N5 million should be set aside from the monthly statutory allocation of each local government for the payment of the salary arrears.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor, Mr Doubara Atasi, noted the stakeholders also resolved that the 2022 senior and junior staff promotions should be conducted without any further delay.
To this end, the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC), and the various Junior Staff Management Committees (JSMC) were directed to immediately commence the 2022 staff promotion exercise for all workers that are due for promotion.
Furthermore, it was agreed in principle that the full computerization of the councils’ payrolls should begin, as a step in the right direction to sanitize the system and checkmate sharp practices within the system.
On the implementation of the new minimum wage for councils, it was resolved that the report from the Committee on the new salary should be thoroughly looked into, with a view to working out the necessary modalities for commencement of implementation as soon as possible.
Presenting the report of the Committee on Local Governments Implementation of Minimum Wage Projection, the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Treasury and Accounts, Mr Timipre Seipulu, disclosed that the aggregate monthly wage bill of the councils would rise to about N1.2 Billion once the new wage is implemented.
He said this figure represents more than 76 per cent of the average federal allocations that came into the coffers of the eight councils in the state for the first three months of this year (January-March, 2022).
The Chairman of Ekeremor Local Government Area, Dr Perekeme Bertola, who addressed the press on behalf of his colleagues assured that the eight councils would take every necessary step to ensure the full implementation of the resolutions.
According to Dr Bertola, under the able leadership and supervision of the Deputy Governor, council chairmen will work hard to address some of the challenges affecting workers at the third tier of government before they bow out in August this year.
