RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT AGREES TO IMPLEMENT FULL MINIMUM WAGE PAYMENT FOR CIVIL SERVANTS

The Government of Rivers State has stated that it has agreed with the Rivers State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), to address all pending labour concerns in the state.

The Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, said that an agreement on the implementation of the National Minimum Wage of N30,000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira) which took effect on 1st January, 2020 has been executed.

The Secretary to the State Government disclosed this in a press statement after a meeting between State Government and Labour in Port Harcourt on Friday, 12th February, 2021.

According to the Secretary to the State Government, a Tripartite Committee to undertake detailed discussions of all outstanding issues has also been set up.

The SSG said, “Rivers State Government has agreed and commenced implementation of the payment of check-off dues and the payment of arrears of salaries of Health workers in the Rivers State Public Service who participated in the sympathy strike of 2017 under the auspices of JOHESU. 

“Other issues which were raised by Labour such as:  Need for payment of arrears  of minimum wage, Promotion of civil Servants from 2012, Payment of gratuity to pensioners, Payment of arrears of salaries to some civil servants who were not paid their February and March, 2016 salaries due to the aborted 2016 biometric verification exercise etc. 

According to the SSG, several other matters will be discussed in details by the tripartite committee.

“The tripartite committee is to commence sitting immediately for a period of six weeks after which a report will be submitted to the Government.

The meeting was attended by the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Rufus Godwin, Esq. On the part of Labour Union were the Chairman of the State Labour Congress, Mrs Beatrice Itubo, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Pastor Jonah Austin, Chairman of the Joint Public Negotiating Council, Mr Emechita Chukwu and other labour leaders.

The tripartite committee will resume sitting next week.

FG, ORGANISED LABOUR TO DISCUSS PMS PRICE MODULATION, ELECTRICITY TARRIFF

Federal government and the organised labour are set to meet to discuss Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) price modulation and electricity tariff in the country.

The meeting, which should have held, but was postponed till February 22 2021, will examine the report by the technical committee set up on PMS pricing framework.

Minister of labour and employment Senator Chris Ngige while speaking during the recent submission of the report by the technical committee, stated that the committee was set up with a mandate to come up with a viable framework for PMS price modulation and electricity tariff.

He said the committee was mandated to examine the two policies respectively in relation to the demands of the organised labour unions.

The February 22nd meeting is a continuation of the series of meetings held in 2020 in a bid to persuade labour unions not to embark on industrial action over the increase in the price of petrol and electricity.

The minister said that the adjournment was to enable the representatives of organised labour subject the report to the analysis of their various organs.

“The Committee on Petroleum Pricing has finished its work and sent in the report. We have received and adopted the report,” he stressed.

Ngige also noted that the report of the technical committee on electricity tariff would be ready in a week’s time, and would also be reviewed alongside that of petroleum pricing on February 22, when the meeting would reconvene.

In his remark, NLC president Comrade Ayuba Wabba said that organised labour needed to do a broader consultation to come up with clear positions on what would be beneficial to both the Nigerian workers, and all Nigerians.

Wabba noted that the issues at stake touched on the life of every Nigerian.

According to Wabba, ”The whole essence of what we are arguing about is how to bring not only the price stability but also affordability.”