It is a faithful saying “that so long as the earth remains seed time and harvest will never cease.” This implies that labour and reward are two constants in any economic equation. This notion is truer in the light of the Biblical assertions that “a labourer is worthy of his wages” and “the labourer shall be the first partaker of the fruit.” In Nigeria these universal principles of economics are easily wished away. As most states of the federation are owing workers’ salaries for 6 to 12 months, this is not just case of industrial injustice but also case of economic sin against humanity and God.
Many states are fast to allude to the dwindling oil revenue as a reason for their refusal to pay staff salaries. While this excuse may sound convincing for some states, for others the excuse is lame and totally out of place.
Civil servants in Bayelsa in recent time have been detached from joy; as most of them have not received their monthly salaries for 5- 14 months. While state civil servants are being owed 5 months salaries, local government workers were owed 12 to 14 months. After many months of inaction by government and labour leaders in the state, labour unionists in the state went into an agreement with the state government; an agreement seen by most civil servants as uncalled for and totally misplaced; an agreement seeking to serve the personal ambitions and interests of the unionists.
Item one of the agreements reads: …“Labour has accepted the position of the state government to pay 50% of monthly salaries to workers effective from February 2016 and expects the Government to effect full payment of workers’ salaries as soon as the allocation from the federal account accruing to the state improves. Labour equally states clearly that the 50% of salaries payable to workers is not a downward review of workers’ salaries. That is to say, that the outstanding 50% shall be paid as soon as the federal allocation to the state improves to complete the monthly salaries of workers.”
The implications of such an agreement are many; technically, civil servants in the state have willfully accepted a pay cut. Yes, a clause in the agreement says the agreement is not pay cut and that government would review salaries of the workers immediately federal government allocation appreciates.
That clause is vague and detrimental to the entire work force in the state; as state government would hardly want to accept a wage increase even when state allocation appreciates. The price of oil has fallen globally and Bayelsans cannot determine the increase of the price of oil. By this agreement, it implies that as long as the price of oil remains low Bayelans would receive half payment of salaries since the state economy is oil driven. This again suggests that the minimum wage in the state is to be reduced from #18,000 to #9,000.
At what bench mark of oil price is this obnoxious agreement of 50% pay cut hinged on? And when would be the right time to say the state allocation has appreciated, so that government can review the agreement? This policy of pay cut is not only an economic aberration but the zenith of industrial injustice.
Economic realities in Nigeria have shown that the current #18, 000 minimum wage in Nigeria is no longer sustainable to the working class because of inflation in the country. Nigeria has a case double digit inflation rate with the effects being multiplier; the most obvious being the increase in prices of goods and services. Labour unions across the country have been canvassing for increase in salaries. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is demanding that government increase the minimum wage of workers from #18,000 to #56, 000.This, the federal government has set up a committee to interface with the labour leaders. In Bayelsa, the reverse is the case; few lobour leaders entered into a deal with government to short change the masses in the state. Is Bayelsa not part of Nigeria? How come at a time when labour leaders across the nation are clamouring for wage increase, labour leaders in Bayelsa are proposing or rather agreeing to accept 50% pay cut on the disguise the there is no money. What type of labour leaders will for the greed of some lucre accept a pay cut at the detriment of the future of Bayelsa workers? Whose rights are the labour leaders in Bayelsa promoting? Since the announcement of pay cut was made by the Bayelsa Government, civil servants in the state have not openly condemn the policy by the government, this silence could be understandable, considering the degree of hunger that is looming in the state. Thus, workers have resorted to go with the saying “half bread is better than none”. Bayelsa workers must however know that their acceptance of wage cut is an economic precedent that would lead to the enslavement of the working class in the State.
The acceptance of wage cut by Bayelsa workers sends a wrong signal about the integrity of the Bayelsa work force. It portrays Bayelsa civil servants as weak persons who cannot stand for their rights and stand for what is right. A labourer is worthy of his wages, it is not a favour for any employer to pay his worker wages.
The rhetoric on the lips of Governor Seriake Dickson is paucity of fund; the Governor says that due to the short fall of oil price and activities of militants, that allocation accruable to the state is no longer sufficient to pay the salaries of the workers. He maintains that the wage bill of the state is beyond the financial strength of the state, as an escape route, the government says pay cut is the solution. A report published by Economic Confidential indicate that between May 2015-June 2016 Bayelsa State got over 95 billion naira from the federation account. Bayelsans must ask questions on how this money was used and what it was used for. Again, Bayelsan must ask what the bailout fund taken by the state government was used for. It could be recalled that in March, 2016 the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released the sum of #1.24 billion to offset outstanding in salaries in the State. Three months after the bailout fund was released civil servants in Bayelsa are still being owed their monthly entitlements.
What is the size of the workforce of the of Bayelsa civil service that government cannot afford to pay salaries? For the records, Bayelasa State has a population of about 2 million people and a large percentage of this population is made up of the youths that are mostly unemployed. No doubt, Governor, Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa is a new Pharaoh who does not know the face of Bayelsa workers; his policies are like those of Pharaoh against the Israelites. His 50% pay cut is an evil under the sun, as today, Bayelsa civil servants are like beggars, begging for that which is their right.
Written by Ominabo Wealth-Dickson.
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