Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state has condemned the attitude of some labour leaders in the state following their recent threat to embark on strike action due to the delay in payment of workers’ salaries in the state.
Dickson, who spoke in Yenagoa, during the swearing-in-ceremony of Mrs. Victoria Pekene as the new Permanent Secretary in the State Civil Service, said the threat to go on strike was uncalled for.
He said that civil servants ought to be appreciative of government’s efforts at meeting its salary obligations to them rather than constituting themselves into what he termed, “vortex of opposition.”
“We live in times when states find it difficult to meet their basic obligations of paying monthly salaries and obligations to civil servants; it is not deliberate.
“From a revenue base that I inherited in 2012, which stood at about 18 billion and now my last receipt for last month stood at about N6.2 billion. So, that will tell you the enormity of the challenge we are facing.
“But because of the values and systems we have put in place, our state is not owing salaries of civil servants”, the governor said.
Dickson revealed that his administration put back everything it gets into meeting its obligations to civil servants and still pays NECO, WAEC and JAMB examination fees for all students in the state.
He regretted that some civil servants and labour leaders in the state were making unguarded and uninformed comments in the media rather than showing gratitude to the government in view of the unfavourable financial situation.
The Governor said his administration was grappling with serious economic challenges in 2015, and called on the people to exercise some patience, as the state has no alternative source of revenue.
“The SSG should get in touch with the Vice Chancellor and the Governing Council of the Niger Delta University, Amassoma on the challenges being faced by the government.
“Every month, we spend N500 million for staff salary of the NDU alone and yet if there is a delay of 3 days or one week, people threaten strike action and say all kinds of things on the pages of newspapers.
“They go on television stations and turn the NDU, not into a citadel of learning that it is expected to be, but a vortex of opposition”, Dickson said.
He said some states in the federation have been owing salaries of workers for several months now, stressing that it was unfortunate that states now rely on the bailout fund from the federal government to pay salaries.
The governor called for greater understanding and support from the people, especially the leadership of the civil service in view of the present economic challenges facing the nation.
He expressed hope that the economic situation would not degenerate to the level where the forecast of the international price regime of crude oil may decline to as low as 20 dollars per barrel.
Dickson said: “From the forecast of the international price regime of crude oil, it may get to as low as 20 dollars, which will spell disaster, not just for our state, but for the whole country.
“We are actually managing a recession. So, Head of Service, I count on you to work with the leadership of the civil service and sensitize them on the very dire situation we are facing.
Consequently, the governor directed the Head of Service to liaise with the leadership of the civil service on the need to sensitize civil servants on the financial challenges facing the country.
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