Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has established a five-member Committee to investigate the possibility of adopting the federal government’s minimum wage in the state.
The committee, headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei, will submit its report by the end of May.
Governor Diri stated that the workforce in Bayelsa State has been receiving salaries and wages on par with the federal governments and the committee will explore the modalities and realities to ensure the state’s finances can accommodate any potential wage increase.
He assured workers that he will not announce or implement a wage increase without proper consideration.
The governor’s announcement came in response to demands from the Organized Labour, who called for the recall of primary school teachers unjustly sacked in 2016, as well as the payment of outstanding salary arrears to reinstated workers at the Niger Delta University and other higher institutions in the state.
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 in 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 shape 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”, he added.
Comrade Simon Bananas, the Nigerian Labour congress Chairman who spoke on behalf of the labor unions also requested training and promotion for state forestry officers, approval for promotion and increment in tertiary institutions, timely payment of salaries for primary school teachers and pensioners, and a weigh-in allowance for media workers at the State House of Assembly.
He said, “In collaboration with our teeming members, we will always ensure that the interest of the State comes first at all times.”
“We shall continue to encourage, motivate, and inspire the teeming workers of Bayelsa State, to imbibe great work ethics and be dedicated to productivity for the continuous advancement and progress of the State.
“We also thank His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State for always standing by you and ensuring that issues affecting workers and the Civil Service are given priority attention”, he added.
