Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, has agreed to increase the wages of workers and pensioners in the state. The increase will be twenty five thousand naira for workers and fifteen thousand naira for pensioners.
Governor Makinde assured the workers that they will start receiving payment alerts from their banks before the end of the week.
The announcement was made after workers protested at the governor’s office on November 6. Last month, the workers had threatened to go on an indefinite strike if their demands for a wage increase were not met.
They were unhappy with the governor’s previous announcement of a wage award to take effect from October and demanded the payment to be backdated to September.
In response, Makinde promised that payments for October would start within the week. However, he explained that he could not make any extravagant promises due to the state’s financial situation.
He assured the workers that he would review the state’s financial books to determine the next steps. Makinde also stated that the wage award would add an additional 2.2 billion naira to the state’s monthly wage bill and would last for six months.
During this period, the state government would work on a sustainable package for civil servants.
Makinde called for understanding from the protesting workers and emphasized the need for cooperation between the government and workers during the challenging economic situation caused by the removal of fuel subsidies and the fluctuating naira-dollar exchange rate.
He pointed out the significant difference in internally generated revenue between Oyo state and Lagos state, highlighting the need for economic prosperity in Oyo state.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Makinde acknowledged the financial impact of the wage increase but expressed his determination to fulfill his promise to the workers.
He acknowledged that it would stretch the state government’s capacity but believed it was a situation that needed to be addressed. He reassured the workers that they would start receiving payment alerts before the week ends.
The Chairman of the Oyo state chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Kayode Martins, expressed hope that the governor’s gesture would put an end to any further agitation for a wage award.