The Bayelsa State Government and the chairmen of the eight local government areas in the state have acceded to the demand of organised labour to pay the new N80,000 minimum wage to workers in the unified local government service.
The state government, which had earlier approved the N80,000 minimum wage for workers in the state employ, also promised to add to the December salaries of its workers the differentials that will arise from the ongoing discussions on the template used in paying the new wage last month.
Bayelsa State Acting Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, disclosed this during a meeting with the State Minimum Wage Implementation Committee, the eight local government chairmen, and the organised labour leaders representing the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC); the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE); the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT); the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), amongst others.
He urged labour to come up with their own computation following the consequential adjustment principle and harmonize same with the state team before next week for government to pay the differentials alongside the December 2024 salaries.
He said the decision to pay the new minimum wage to council workers was unanimously agreed by all critical stakeholders including the local government chairmen.
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On the issue of the federal government circular for increment of pensioners’ remuneration, the acting governor promised that government would look into it, adding that it had already approved a N10,000 increase for pensioners across board.
He however said the state government cannot adopt the payment template of the federal government in implementing the new wage to workers as both do not have the same financial capacity.
He said: “First, we have agreed that the minimum wage for the local governments should also be N80,000. Now the difference is the consequential adjustment which we think that we cannot use the Federal Government’s consequential adjustment because the Federal Government’s rates are higher.
“Secondly, the Federal Government has ways and means, but both state and local governments do not have such powers where they can tell the Central Bank to print money for them.
“So, as we go for the consequential adjustment, we will look at what we can carry, and I need all of us to put the survival of Bayelsa State and our councils at the back of our minds as we negotiate.
‘”We should not fail to understand that the resources that come to the state or local government are not meant for those of us who are politicians and civil servants. The truth is that we constitute only about 15 percent that earns income as salaries.
“While majority of our people earn social services such as health facilities, education, security, roads, bridges and other amenities that are also being provided from that same resources. So, I really want to appeal to labour to show understanding.”
Speaking on behalf of organised labour, the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Simon Barnabas, thanked the government for approving the new minimum wage for workers in the state.
The state NLC boss, however, called on the government to adopt the Federal Government template for the consequential adjustment as well as approve N32,000 increment for pensioners as contained in the recent federal circular.
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