Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has assured Civil Servants that the State Government would take the lead towards implementing any new National Minimum Wage structure agreed upon by Labour leaders and the Federal Government.
Governor Otti stated this at the Umuahia Township Stadium while addressing Abia Workers on the occasion of the 2024 Workers’ Day Celebration.
The Governor while noting that discussions with Federal Government on the Minimum Wage Structure is being closely monitored, assured Abia Workers that state government would backdate the implementation and pay its arrears.
He promised to look into the request for the payment of the approved Wage Award expeditiously and added that the payment of arrears of leave allowances, promotions, and accumulated debts owed Workers by the immediate past administration would be paid on case-by-case basis.
“Coming to your request for a review of the wage structure for the State’s civil servants, I am pleased to inform you that we shall take the lead in implementation as soon as a new national minimum wage structure is agreed.
“I understand that labour leaders across the country are currently engaging with the federal government and we are following those discussions closely. As soon as a concrete agreement is reached, we shall immediately do the needful as a State.
“We have also noted your other demands including payment of arrears of leave allowance, promotions and other accumulated debts owed our workforce in the last eight to ten years. We shall carefully consider these requests and deal with them on a case-by-case basis, and subject to availability of resources
“We are presently in discussion with staff of a few other institutions with outstanding salary issues pre-dating our administration for settlement. Within the next few weeks, I am sure that the payment of backlogs of salaries accumulated before May 29, 2023 will be done in line with our determination to right the wrongs of the past”, the Governor said.
Governor Otti who titled his speech, “Workers As Agents Of Development And Transformation”, acknowledged the ingenuity of the members of the Abia workforce and affirmed that his administration would continue to prioritize the welfare of Abia Workers in all policies and programmes of government in appreciation to their immense contributions to the State’s economic and social development.
He disclosed that his government has made it a policy to meet salaries and entitlements of the workers and pensioners first before the political office holders get their monthly official entitlements vowed that never again would workers be owed in Abia state.
NLC Chairman,Comrade Okoro Ogbonnaya
In his speech, the State Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) , Comrade Okoro Ogbonnaya commended Governor Alex Otti for all his developmental strides, including the welfare of workers in the state.
Comrade Ogbonnaya requested the Governor to defray the arrears of leave allowances and salaries owed workers in the state by the immediate past administration.
He stressed the need for the present administration to conduct Promotion Exercises in the State Service which were last conducted in 2021, payment of the the approved wage award, approval for the payment of promotion arrears, recruitment of teachers as well as immediate intervention on the crises that led to the closure of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike among others.
The event which attracted the presence of the Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, members of the State House of Assembly, members of the state executive council, SSG, HOS among other dignitaries featured match pass by about 20 unions and associations of the NLC and TUC.
