The deputy governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has assured members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and workers of state-owned tertiary institutions of the state government’s commitment to their welfare.
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Senator Ewhrudjakpo gave the assurance at separate meetings with the executives of the state’s branch of the NMA and representatives of the various tertiary institutions in Government House, Yenagoa.
A statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, at the weekend, quoted the deputy governor as saying that the Governor Douye Diri-led administration has never treated issues concerning workers with levity right from its inception in 2020.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo pointed out that the Bayelsa Government was among the first few states that approved and immediately implemented the current minimum wage because it believes every worker is worthy of a fair wage.
To this end, he.assured the NMA and workers in the state-owned tertiary institutions that the present administration would continue to ensure that no worker is deprived of his or her legitimate entitlement.
On the issue of upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) for medical doctors, Senator Ewhrudjakpo clarified that it would be addressed through the Minimum Wage Implementation Committee and directed the NMA to nominate two of its members to be part of the committee.
The Deputy Governor, however, condemned the situation where some labour unions recklessly issue ultimatums for strike action to government in the midst of negotiations, describing such practice as illegal and alien to the extant labour laws of the country.
His words: “First of all, I want to state this. I am not too sure that any labour law states that while negotiations are going on you give an ultimatum or warning for going on strike. It is never done anywhere.
“There are conditions or precedents leading to strike. One of them is that there is complete breakdown of negotiations. Our negotiations are still ongoing, so your notice of warning strike is not justified.
“Our high-powered Committee on the Review of Implementation of the New Minimum Wage is working round the clock to address all the issues arising from the implementation in the state. The Committee would also look into your demand.
“This administration will not play with workers’ welfare. We will continue to treat them fairly. It would interest you to know that Bayelsa is one of the few states in the country that have implemented the new National Minimum Wage so far.
“The NMA should quickly nominate two of its members to be part of the Minimum Wage Review Committee to work with them.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the NMA, Bayelsa Branch, Dr. Wilcox Izibeya, lamented the avoidable exodus of qualified medical personnel from the state, and called on government to quickly address the issue of reviewing CONMESS and the payment of the acruable arrears.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Government has directed all state-owned tertiary educational institutions to pay revenues from registration and school fees to a dedicated bank account.
The Deputy Governor, who conveyed the directive to heads of the various institutions at the meeting, explained that the move will, among other benefits, help to improve the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state.
While urging the academics not to rest on their oars to produce quality graduates for industry, leadership and the academia, Senator Ewhrudjakpo assured the management of the schools that revenues generated monthly by the institutions would be ploughed back to them.
In their separate responses, the Vice Chancellor of the Niger Delta University, Professor Allen Agih, and his University of Africa, Toru-Orua counterpart, Professor Solomon Ebobrah, welcomed the policy initiative, and called on government to create opportunities to meet more frequently with the academia.
Others who made remarks include the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Bayelsa Medical University, Prof. Aloysius Ligha; the Provost of the College of Health Technology, Dr. Ogoun Timipa; the Rector of the Institute of Tourism, Prof. Righteous Arikawei, and and the Provost of the College of Nursing, Dr. Kenneth Wasini.
Other institutions represented at the meeting include the Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, and the Bayelsa State Polytechnic, the International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, the Bayelsa State Institute of Entrepreneurship and Vocational Training.
