Reform: Hope rises for Bayelsa workers, as Govt, Labour leaders meet to strategise

Bayelsa State government, Organized Labour leaders and major stakeholders in the state’s civil service meet to proffer solution to the issues bordering on the welfare of workers, the ongoing reform in the civil service, and the controversies of workers’ retrenchment.

The various speakers at the stakeholders meeting held Wednesday at the Conference Hall of the Bayelsa state Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity said the revolution in the civil service is imminent and unavoidable in order to have a robust and sensitized system.

Representing the government, the state’s Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Chief Collins Cocodia, assured them that all the genuine workers in the state have nothing to fear, adding that only those with aged falsification, under aged staff to reduce the over bloated workforce.

Cocodia, disclosed that it’s unacceptable for the state to have 34,259 workers in the civil service, adding that if the reform is not done now the state can never have a vibrant, well reformed civil service.

While responding to the reactions by the speakers, he said “The fraud in the local government areas of the state is more in the educational sector.

The pension area everything is going up, instead those in active service decreased and the pension scheme increase. The over staff in government parastatals without efficiency is also unacceptable”

All issues raised here will be documented and sent to the governor so that we can address them on time. Bayelsa state is one state that has been sub-change in the federal level which is unfair, so we have to fight that and ensure our people are employed.

In his reaction, Comrade Bipre John Ndiomu, the Bayelsa State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), appealed to government that the issue of age declaration to some level shouldn’t lead to sack, adding that those involved should be pardon and government should handle the issues with care.

He agreed that the system in no doubt has lot of challenges and as the they progress more issues are unfolding, adding that the leaders of various union will always sit down with government from time to address issues facing workers in the state.

The Bayelsa state chairman union of pensioners, Comrade Renner Hobobo, who was visibly sad, noted that government has been owing pensioners in the state for about seven months, adding that the accumulated amount with gratuity is about 30 billion naira.

He appealed to government to implement the increase in their pension scheme, adding that they are been taxed even when they are forfeiting about 20 percent of their monies.

The chairman of SSANU, Niger Delta University, Comrade W.W Fakidouma, appealed to government to make do with the youthful workers while the aged ones retired, adding that last year 347 staffs were verified and till now salaries has not been paid when most are sick, hospitalized and dead.