I will Not Implement F/G Wage Increase For Now: Diri

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State on Wednesday told  the state workers that he will not announce a wage increase as announced by the Federal Government adding  that he will not implement it for now.

To that effect, he  set up a five man committee headed by Nimibofa Ayaowei, Secretary to the State Government,   to look into the possibility of applying the federal government minimum wage in the state.

Governor Diri disclosing this while addressing workers in his May Day Speech at the Peace Park, Yenagoa, the state capital, said already  workers in Bayelsa State have been receiving salaries and wages at par mostly with only workers of the federal government of Nigeria.

He said: "I am not unaware of the challenges that we all are facing 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 include 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 look 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 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 figure 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."

In their joint address, the leadership of Nigerian Labour Congress headed by Simon Banabas and his  Trade Union Congress  counterpart, Late Julius  called on the state governor senator Douye Diri to recall the primary school teachers that were unjustly sacked in 2016 by the previous administration.

According to them, while some staff of tertiary institutions in the state with similar issue have been graciously recalled, the primary School teachers are still wallowing in poverty.

Part of their demand included the  payment of outstanding salary arrears to the reinstated workers at the Niger Delta University and other higher institutions in the state.

Others include training and promotion of state forestry officers in the ministry of environment. Approval for implementation of promotion/increment from ,2019 to 2023 for tertiary institutions.

They also requested for the timely payment of salaries to primary school teachers and pensioners. Weigh in allowance for media workers working with the state House of Assembly amongst others.