Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering commitment to the welfare of workers on the state.
The governor stated this while addressing the workers at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida to mark this year’s May Day celebration.
Governor Alia who was represented by his Deputy, Barr. Sam Ode, said the celebration reminds his administration that no nation can thrive without a productive and committed workforce.
“It is on this note that I salute the courage, patience and unwavering commitment of workers across Benue, in both the public and private sectors. From our teachers moulding the future of our children, to our healthcare workers saving lives under challenging conditions; from our farmers who sustain our food security, to our civil servants who ensure the machinery of government runs smoothly”.
He said the event offered another opportunity for people of state “to reflect on how far his administration has come, the challenges we face, and our shared responsibility in building a prosperous state” in the last three years.
It is in view of this that we have made the prompt and regular payment of workers salaries and retirees’ pensions, a non-negotiable norm.
The governor said his zero hesitation in implementing the N75,000 minimum wage almost two years ago, N5,000 above the Federal Government’s benchmark, is an indication of how highly government has prioritize workers’ welfare.
Governor Alia maintained that apart from ensuring prompt promotion of our civil servants as and when due, he has also been gradually clearing months of salary arrears owed workers since 2017 by the immediate past administration; while staff training and retraining in order to arm them with the needed capacity to cope with newer demands in their jobs has been sustained.
Also speaking, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in a joint speech read by the state NLC chairman, Comrade Terungwa Igbe, admonished the governor to pay workers the balance of two months of salary arrears owed workers in the state.
The union leaders also called for drastic improvement in the payment of salary arears owed local government workers in the state and teachers.
They commended the governor for infrastructural transformation of the state, and further appealed for the conversion/granting of permanent and pensionable appointments to thousands of casual workers in government offices and establishments in the state to improve their living conditions and those of their dependants among others.