LG WORKERS REJECTS DICKSON'S SALARY

Confusion as LG workers reject Dickson’s proposed salary payment
- by Mike Odiegwu.

There was confusion in Bayelsa State Friday following the decision of the local government workers to reject a proposal by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to pay them one out of about 13-month salary arrears.

The council workers have been thrown into untold hardship because of failures of the government to pay them arrears of salaries ranging from seven to about 13 months.
But after the State Executive Council meeting on Thursday evening, Dickson said the government would commence the payment of the salary arrears on Monday.

Though the governor did not disclose how many of the arrears he was willing to pay, it was gathered that the government intended to pay the workers one month of the backlogs in cash.

Dickson said the council also resolved that payment of salaries would commence at the various designated centres including Peace Park, Samson Siasia Sports Complex, DSP Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall, Izon Wari, Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre and Micro Finance Bank in Yenagoa.

He sympathised with the plight of workers in the state adding that payment of the council workers’ salaries would be based on the recently concluded verification exercise.

Dickson said the council decided to set up two committees to monitor salary payment at the state and local government levels, with representatives drawn from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).

He said the Head of Service, Dr. Peter Singabele, would be in charge of the committee for the state mainstream civil service, while that of the LG is to be headed by Mrs. Agatha Goma.

According to him, the supervised payment was expected to further strengthen the verification exercise and confirm the payment vouchers emanating from the 8 local government councils.

Shortly after the decision of the government, the workers under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) said they would not accept the proposal.
They said it was insensitive for the government to ask all the workers to converge at different centres in Yenagoa to receive one month salary in cash as a pilot scheme before other backlogs would be paid subsequently.

The joint unions made the rejection in a press statement signed by NULGE Bayelsa Secretary, Mr. Tonye Jaja and the secretary, MHWUN, Mr. Letam Nwibani.
The unions called on their members to disregard the state government’s proposal and turn up en mass on Tuesday next week to protest the non-payment of their salaries as earlier agreed.

One of the workers who spoke in confidence wondered why the governor was only wiling to pay a month salary after receiving N1.2bn bailout funds and about four month allocations from the Federal Government.

He said all the revenue for the local government areas so far received by the governor could offset about six to seven months of the arrears.
He said it was inhuman for Dickson to ask workers, most of whom are resident in the hinterlands and creeks, to assemble at designated places like beggars in Yenagoa just to receive a month’s salary.

“We can’t even afford a meal much less money for transport. We have not been paid for many months. We are asking the governor to release all the allocations for local government areas and the bailout funds. These funds will go a long way to alleviate our plight,” he said.

TheNationonline