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Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, has approved the payment of the N30, 000 new National Minimum Wage to workers in the state with effect from this month.
He has also urged labour unions in the state to extend the cooperation they gave his government for the past seven years to the incoming administration in the state.
Governor Dickson who gave the approval over the weekend during a meeting with the leadership of organised labour in Government House, Yenagoa, directed the state’s financial team to follow through the template set by the National Wages and Income Commission in implementing the new salary level.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, quoted the governor as saying that nothing is too much to be paid to workers in view of their contributions to national development.
Describing the state’s workforce as hard working, Governor Dickson, however, stressed the need for the public service to remain apolitical, disciplined and professional in the discharge of its duties.
He explained that the meeting was convened to enable the state government and the labour unions to jointly work out the modalities for the payment of the new wage in such a way that Bayelsa would not lag behind in its implementation.
Governor Dickson also expressed appreciation to labour unions for their cooperation and understanding especially during the economic recession, and urged them to extend the kind gesture to the incoming government with a view to sustaining the prevailing industrial harmony in the state.
His words: “I made you people a commitment that we are not ( in principle) opposed to the the payment of the N30,000 new national minimum wage. Today I have made good that promise. Under normal circumstances, there is nothing we pay our hard working employees that should be considered too much.
“I cannot thank you enough for the support, cooperation, understanding and patriotism you displayed to my administration for the past eight years particularly during the period of the economic recession. My expectation is that the organized labour will extend this understanding and cooperation to the incoming government.”
In their separate remarks, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade John Ndiomu and Trade Union Congress counterpart, Mr Layi Julius expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the meeting, the state Head of Service, Mrs Biobelemoye Onyeama assured that all modalities for the implementation of the minimum wage would soon be concluded to enable government to pay it from this January.
