Workers Day: Bayelsa labour demands payment of gratuity, death benefits
By Workers in Bayelsa State on Wednesday, called on the Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, to pay gratuity and death benefits owed pensioners and families of deseased public servants.
Workers made this demand in a joint statement issued by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC) during the 2019 May Day celebration in Yenagoa.
Mr. Ndiomu who delivered the speech, urged the State Government to make the payment of gratuity and death benefits as a priority, saying the development is becoming worrisome.
Explaining further, he said these categories of workers have given their best to the service, therefore, they deserved to be treated as heroes.
“Congress further calls for the implementation of 33 per cent harmonisation salary increase to the state which has not been implemented since 2010.”
Mr. Indiomu also pleaded with the governor to implement the N30, 000 new minimum wage assented to by the President, Muhammadu Buhari.
He said, “to put smiles on the faces of workers of the state, we implore the governor to implement the N30,000 new minimum wage assented to by the president.”
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Responding to the demands of workers, Dickson said that he has been a believer of the N30, 000 minimum wage and would not hesitate to ensure its implementation.
He said the State Government has agreed to pay the N30, 000 new minimum wage in principle but that government would have to wait for the wages commission to work out the modalities for payment.
“We will pay the N30, 000 minimum wage but we must first wait for the wages commission to work out the modalities of the payment structure. Without that, we would not know how the new minimum wage would affect the salary of those in level 15, 10 and 7 as the case may be.”
Dickson also vowed to weed out teachers that are above retirement age, and create job opportunity for young Bayelsans that are qualified to teach.
“It is on record that we lack teachers in this state. There is an urgent need to employ more people and post them to schools to teach our children. But we can’t employ because those who are due for retirement have refused to leave for fresh hands to come in.
“If I say anything, you can take it to the bank because you are sure I would do it. With the cooperation of labour leaders, we are going to wipe out all those that are due for retirement but have refused to leave.
“We are going to identify them and retire them so there would be room for us to employ more teachers,” he said.
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