Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, on Wednesday, announced a cash award of between N10,000 and N25,000 to the state workers, effective December to April, 2024.
This government’s gesture, he said, was meant to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal pending when the new minimum wage negotiation would be concluded.
While disclosing this during a joint news briefing with the leadership of the Organised Labour at the Government House, Enugu, he said that his administration was also implementing other social interventions apart from the cash transfer to better the lives of workers.
Mbah said that the welfare of workers remained a priority of his administration.
Acknowledging that his laudable goals for the state could not be attained without a happy workforce, he also announced an increase in the state social register enrolment from 43,000 to 260,000.
“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.
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“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 December, we are going to also make a flat payment to all the 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 until April 2024,” Mbah said.
“It is our hope 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 added.
