Labour Lauds RSG Over Commitment To Salary Payment

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State (right), addressing civil servants in Port Harcourt last Monday. Photo: NAN

The leadership of the
State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) has lauded the commitment of the state government towards prompt salary payments to civil servants in the state.
Speaking to The Tide on Wednesday in Port Harcourt the state chairman of JPSNC,  Comrade  Emecheta Chukwu said the council fully support the present administration avowed commitment towards prompt monthly salary payment to workers.
Chukwu said civil servants in the state were elated with the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike’s declaration to pay the civil servants their outstanding salary arrears without delay.
He said the meeting held between the Governor and workers on Monday had afforded His Excellency the opportunity to see the plights and anguish of the workers that had not received salary for the past two months.
The labour leader said that the organised labour in the state is fully behind the mission and efforts of the governor in moving the state forward without reneging on the government’s promise that the state government cannot embark on project execution without first paying salaries of civil servants.
He said that workers in the state are happy that the governor has put politics behind himself to concentrate on how to deliver dividends of democracy, good governance and transparency to the generality of the people of  the state.
The Joint Council boss said that the steps so far taken by His Excellency clearly shown that the governor meant well for the state and its people, urging His Excellency to remain focused without being distracted from formulating and implementing policies that would improve the lives of civil servants and other indigenes of the state.
The labour leader also advised the state government to summon a stakeholders summit on the leadership crisis that has engulfed the organised labour especially the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state shortly after the Congress’s election in April this year with a view of amicably resolving the crisis in the best interest and unity of the organised labour in the state.
He reiterated that labour in the state cannot afford a division in its rank, stressing that the dire consequences of such division would be too calamitous for the workers’ welfare.
Meanwhile, the state Governor, Nyesom Wike had on Monday held a meeting with the civil servants at the state secretariat where the governor assured civil servants that his administration would not victimise any of the civil servants on account of their political inclinations,  but rather warned them to desist from playing partisan politics.
The governor at the maiden meeting promised that his government would be workers-friendly, stressing that he would take proactive measures to ensure that the state will never descend to such unacceptable level of civil servants salaries been owed for months.
His Excellency reminded the workers that the immediate past administration owed salaries because of misplaced priorities, stressing that his administration would place priority on workers welfare.
Wike chided the organised labour leaders, civil servants and their respective unions for keeping quiet while the past administration relegated staff welfare to the background.

Philip Okparaji