By John Odunjo
The Head of Service of Ekiti State, Sunday Komolafe, on Monday assured civil servants in the state that ongoing negotiations with the organised labour on the wage award would be concluded before December 31.
Komolafe said that the state government would begin payment of the wage award after conclusion of the negotiations.
As part of efforts to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy, the Federal Government, following agreement with Labour national leadership had announced N35,000 monthly for six months as wage award for federal workers.
Consequently, some states have announced what they could afford to pay to their workers as wage award.
But Komolafe, the Ekiti HoS, who spoke at a press conference in Ado Ekiti as part of activities for 2023 Civil Service Week, calmed the frayed nerves of workers in the state, saying payment would begin soon on conclusion of the ongoing negotiations between the state government and organised labour in the state.
He said, “Ekiti State is not lagging behind. Even those states that have made pronouncements have not started implementation. I am sure that by the time they will be starting the implementation, Ekiti State would have made a definite pronouncement.
“We have started discussion with the organised labour, my office, that of Finance Commissioner and organised labour have started discussion. I want to assure you that before this year runs out, by the time those states that have said their own will be implementing, we also will be implementing.
“Very soon, you will hear positive response and everybody will say this is the best that Ekiti State is offering for its workforce,” the HoS said.
Komolafe said, “The civil service plays a pivotal role in the interpretation and execution of government policies. That is why it is generally believed that the success or otherwise of any government is measured by the quality of the civil service.
“I therefore enjoin all civil servants to be more committed to their responsibilities for the actualization of the shared prosperity agenda of the present administration in the state,” the HoS said.
