Bayelsa begs tertiary institution staff to shelve planned strike

The Bayelsa State Government has appealed to labour unions in the state-owned tertiary institutions not to embark on their planned strike, saying efforts were underway to address their demands and implement the new minimum wage for its members.

The state Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made the appeal on Wednesday during  a meeting with the representatives of the various unions under the aegis of the Higher Institutions Joint Action Committee (HIJAC) at the  Government House, Yenagoa.

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The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the deputy governor, Mr Doubara Atasi, in a statement, quoted him as pointed out that since the committee which set up by the State Government to look into their demands had not completed its assignment, it would not be necessary for the Unions to go on strike.

He noted that the industrial action would not only adversely affect the education system of the state but also do a disservice to members of the Unions if they go ahead to down tools at a time frantic efforts were being made to settle their grievances.

According to him, the government had already agreed to implement the new Minimum Wage for workers in the state tertiary institutions.

He, therefore, assured the labour leaders that the implementation would commence as soon as the right figures and computations were made available by the committee handling the assignment.

He also promised that the state government would introduce a new template for paying yearly subventions to the tertiary institutions.

Earlier, the Chairman of HIJAC, Comrade Gbenizibe Amachree, listed the union demands to include implementation of the new Minimum Wage, reinstatement of their wrongfully disengaged members, and implementation of promotions and payment of promotion arrears to members.

The union also called on the government to separate the subventions from salaries being paid to the staff of tertiary institutions, insisting that such subventions should rather be channelled to infrastructural development of the schools.