Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson’s approved N3 billion loan for the purchase of cars for politicians is generating further ripples as workers estimated at over three billion naira, workers in the state payroll are gearing up for a showdown over several months arrears owed them.
However, while the state government is claiming that the workers are been owed only three months, the NLC and TUC are claiming six months, a situation that has forced the two trade union to issue an ultimatum that would expired next week February 14, the date the Governor is supposed to celebrate his second anniversary of the second term in office.
The Bayelsa House of Assembly on Tuesday, in a closed-door session, approved a N3 billion loan request from the executive arm to purchase cars for legislators and security agencies.
The development attracted criticisms from civil servants in the state, who said that seeking a loan to purchase the cars at a time the state government owed workers six months salary arrears was insensitive.
Reacting to the development, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Seriake Dickson denied in a statement that the government was owing workers for six months.
According to him, the government is owing workers only three months salaries.
The statement restated the governor’s commitment to running a transparent system, where the welfare of workers and the citizenry remains a priority.
“It is therefore not true that government is owing six months salary of workers, as alleged in some of the media reports.
“Rather, government is making conscious efforts to clear all outstanding salaries and has even gone ahead to pay in full, the salary for the month of January,” Iworiso-Markson said.
However, labour leaders and civil servants maintained that the government was yet to clear a backlog of the six months salary arrears being owed the state workers.