By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa
Workers in Bayelsa State Sunday had cause to smile as the state government said it would be the first to implement the N18,000 new minimum wage.

Governor Timipre Sylva gave the assurance on the occasion of this year workers day celebration in Yenagoa.

According to him, a committee had been set up by the government to study the modality for the payment of the minimum wage bill.

His words, “With the signing of the Minimum Wage Bill into Law, the Bayelsa State government has set up a committee to study it carefully, and it is my honour to announce to you that ours will probably be the first state government to pay the minimum wage of N18,000.00.”

Sylva who described the workers as occupying a special place in the nation fledgling democracy said they are the engine and foot soldiers of the government of the day and the producers of the goods and services that keep the country going.

While reiterating his commitment to the welfare of workers in line with the theme of this year workers day entitled “Growing the National Economy for Job Creation and People’s Welfare” the governor said his administration has commenced the process of addressing the issue of casual workers with the Civil Service Commission conducting interviews to employ qualified persons into the state service.

“Qualified casual workers in all ministries, departments and agencies are expected to apply and undergo the process of employment like other Bayelsans,” the governor said.

On the contentious workers of the Environmental Sanitation Authority he said, “on completion of the biometrics exercise, it was clear that the staff strength of the Environmental Sanitation Authority was over bloated.

“The number of staff was therefore rationalized for effective management. It is the decision of government that others should be absorbed into other areas within the public service to contribute their own quota to the development of our state.

“As a government with a human face, we feel it is in our collective interest to re-absorb them into other areas, instead of sending them to the labour market.”

Continuing he said, “in the in the area of commitment to workers’ welfare, we can say without any fear of contradiction that, we have done better than most. That is why even you, my fellow workers, refer to me as a labour-friendly governor.

That title was earned on account of our administration’s prompt implementation of the consolidated salary structure for civil servants, payment of the new teachers’ salary structure (TSS) and the new salary structure for judiciary workers.

“Others are the prompt implementation of consolidated Health Salary Structure, the new salary scale for members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Niger Delta University (NDU) chapter, and payment of arrears to workers as well as the payment of thirty thousand naira 2010 Christmas bonus to workers across board.”