RSG Ready To Pay New Wage

Representative of Rivers State Governor and Deputy Governor of the state, Engr Tele Ikuru (left) listening to Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Emmanuel Chinda, during the 2010 World Food Day celebration, organised by the state Ministry of Agriculture at Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, recently.

The Rivers State Chairman of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Comrade Opuoyibo Lilly-West, says Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is ready to pay the new minimum wage as approved by the Federal Government for civil servants.

Lilly-West, who dropped the hint in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt explained that Amaechi’s readiness to pay the new minimum wage was the fallout of the meeting between labour leaders led by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chairman, Comrade Chris Oruge and the governor on Monday in which the new minimum wage and other sundry issues affecting civil servants in the state were discussed.

The NCSU boss said while discussions on how to pay the new minimum wage to the workers were still in progress, the governor clearly demonstrated his willingness to pay the new wage, which prompted his directive to the NLC chairman to invite other labour leaders for the meeting.

Describing the Monday meeting as highly fruitful, Lilly-West expressed optimism that a committee to harmonise all grey areas surrounding the payment of the new wage would soon be set up. He gave clear signals that the new salary package would be paid civil servants before the end of the year.

According to him, the payment of the wage had become imperative because all federal workers were billed to enjoy the new salary package at the end of this month.

The NCSU chairman, who commended the governor for the labour/government forum also disclosed that civil servants who were shortlisted for the allocation of houses in Iriebe Housing Estate would soon be given keys to the houses, as the governor also used the meeting to direct the Deputy Governor, Engr Tele Ikuru to address the matter.

He decried a situation where over 90 per cent of civil servants in the state who had processed the necessary documents and also paid the mandatory initial deposit were yet to be allocated the houses.

On the just concluded Civil Service Week celebration, Lilly-West commended the state Head of Service, Mrs Esther Anucha for the vision which he said had taken civil service in the state to a glorious height.

While soliciting for peace within the NCSU fold, he called on members of the executive committee of the union to come together to work for the collective interest of civil servants in the state.

Donatus Ebi