The Bayelsa State Government has disclosed that the aggregate monthly wage bill of the eight local government council areas of the state will rise to about N1.2billion when the new minimum wage is implemented.
The Technical Adviser on Treasury, Accounts and Revenue to the Governor, Mr Timipre Seipulou, stated this while presenting the report of the Committee on Local Governments Implementation of Minimum Wage Projection at an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting presided over by the state Deputy Governor, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, at the Government House, Yenagoa.
This was contained in a statement issued by the deputy governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, in Yenagoa on Monday.
Among those present at the meeting were the chairmen and principal officers of the councils, labour union leaders and some top government officials.
Seipulou said, “The figure represents more than 76 per cent of the average federal allocations that accrued to the coffers of the eight local government councils in the first three months (January-March) of this year.”
The meeting, according to the statement, however, resolved that the councils would soon begin modalities to pay the new minimum wage and salary arrears owed council workers.
The workers, including primary school teachers, non-academic staff and health personnel would also be paid their salary arrears from 2016 on monthly instalments with effect from this month.
It was also resolved at the meeting that N5 million would be set aside from the monthly statutory allocation of each local government for the payment of the salary arrears.
The meeting directed the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) and the various Junior Staff Management Committees (JSMC) to immediately commence the 2022 staff promotion exercise for all workers that were due for promotion.
The stakeholders also agreed, in principle, that the full computerisation of the councils’ payrolls begin as a step in the right direction to sanitise the system and checkmate sharp practices within the system.
They further agreed that the committee’s report on the new salary should be thoroughly looked into with a view to working out the necessary modalities for commencement of implementation as soon as possible.
Ewhrudjakpo restated the present administration’s determination to reposition the state local government system for effective service delivery at the grassroots level.
He noted the stakeholders also resolved that the 2022 senior and junior staff promotions be conducted without any further delay.
