The Bayelsa State Government has approved the payment of wage awards to civil servants in its ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as part of measures to cushion the effects of the hard economic realities.
The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this known on Friday when the leadership of the South-South Zone of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) led by its Chairman, Comrade Bolum Martin and Vice Chairman, Comrade Julius Laye, paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.
A statement by the media aide to the Deputy Governor, Mr Doubara Atasi, explained that the wage award which was approved by Governor Douye Diri was in line with the Federal Government’s appeal to the states to utilize funds from oil subsidy removal to ameliorate the economic hardship facing workers.
According to the statement, Ewhrudjakpo has directed the Head of the State Civil Service, Mrs Biobelemoye Charles-Onyeama, to work out modalities for the payment of the N35,000 wage awards to all civil servants on the state government’s payroll.
Describing the civil service as the engine room for the implementation of government’s programmes and policies, the Deputy Governor promised that the present administration in Bayelsa would continue to take the welfare of civil servants seriously.
He assured the TUC of government’s support and encouragement where necessary to meet their goals and promote healthy industrial relations in the state, South-South region and the country at large.
Ewhrudjakpo, however, urged the two major labour centres in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to always work together in the interest of workers and the entire citizens of the country.
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 the government. In fact, they run with the vision of the 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, Comrade Bolum Martin, acknowledged the labour friendly disposition of the Governor Diri-led administration, noting that Bayelsa is among the few states that had extended the payment of the 30 per cent minimum wage to local government workers.
