Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra state says his administration will be one of the first few states to pay the new national minimum wage once Federal Government released payment guidelines.
Obiano made this known in his address to mark the 2019 Workers’ Day Celebration on Wednesday in Awka.
“I have formally declared the intention of my administration to pay the newly approved minimum wage in the state.
“And I will begin the implementation once the guidelines for the payment of the minimum wage are released by the Federal Government.
“All the demands tabled before the Special Committee on Labour Issues headed by my Deputy, Nkem Okeke, have been approved in principle,” Obiano said.
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He said his administration had been fair to the state workers.
“We have never failed to pay salaries, come rain come shine. We have cleared outstanding pensions that had accumulated for over 25 years, from the inception of our state.
“We have continued to give out bags of rice to workers to give everyone a sense of belonging during Christmas seasons.
“The Mass Transit buses we provided have made life more bearable to our workers. And in the middle of all these, we are carrying out the renovation of our secretariat to give it a proper facelift.
He said the government has been doing all these because it values the workers. “We believe in you. And we want the very best for the state,” he said.
He said that his administration had over the past five years enjoyed perfect relations with the organised labour in the state.
“We have worked in absolute harmony with labour to ensure that Anambra’s steady and assured steps to progress are not derailed by labour issues,” Obiano affirmed.
