Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has announced cash awards of between N10,000 and N25,000 to the state workers till April 2024 while also assuring that the new minimum wage negotiation would soon be concluded.
Mbah stressed that the welfare of workers remained the priority of his administration, as his laudable goals for Enugu could not be attained without a happy workforce.
Dr. Mbah also announced an increase by his administration of the state social register enrolment from 43,000 to 260,000, promising to lift more indigent citizens through cash transfers and other social interventions.
He made these known during a joint media briefing with the state’s labour leaders at the Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday, saying the administration was also making other social interventions apart from the cash transfer to better the lives of Enugu State workers.
“As you may be aware, since the removal of the petroleum subsidy, we have been in constant negotiation with the labour unions in the state, crafting a way forward on how we can provide palliatives to our teeming workforce.
“So, by the time you put a monetary value to all the social services we have provided, it will weigh well above N100,000 minimum wage.
“But in addition to that, with effect from next month (December), we are going to also make a flat payment to all categories of our workers, beginning from our local government to the primary and secondary school teachers, and civil servants. We are going to categorise them and there will be flat payment of between N10,000 and 25,000, depending on the category. That payment is going to continue till April.
“Our hope is that by the end of April, the committee that is reviewing the minimum wage would have come out with what would then become the new minimum wage in the state. So, from there, we are just going to carry on the implementation of what is then set as the minimum wage”, he stated.
