The Ekiti State
government yesterday approved the promotion of civil servants who are
due for promotion with effect from January 2010.
The government has
also appealed to labour unions for more understanding on the issue of
pay relativity, saying what it receives from the Federation Account and
Internally Generated Revenue are too meagre to accommodate the pay rise
being demanded.
The Head of
Service, Olubunmi Famosaya, who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen
on Tuesday said government has released money for the payment of
housing and car loans to workers as part of measures to improve their
welfare.
He explained that
Governor Kayode Fayemi had last Friday approved the promotion of public
servants cutting across cadres of civil service saying the exercise
will cost the government an extra N7 million.
Mr Famosaya who
described the Fayemi-led administration as a worker-friendly government
described the current financial situation of the state as a “big
challenge”. He also urged workers to be ready to make sacrifices for
the overall development of the state.
Worker friendly
The Head of Service
said government has met the demands of the state judiciary and medical
workers who are not part of the latest strike while N700 million was
paid as pension arrears with the car and housing loans already restored.
Mr Famosaya
identified merit-based appointments of Head of Service and Permanent
Secretaries, payments of salaries and emoluments as and when due and
reduction of tuition fees paid at state-owned universities where most
of the civil servants have their children as gestures to prove that
government is worker-friendly.
He however, called
on labour unions in the state to see reason and call off the ongoing
industrial action in the interest of the state.
“As a development
person who has been working with international organisations, he
believes that what we are earning is not a living wage and he has said
that if he has the money, he will pay more than N18,000 which is the
minimum wage.” He explained.
