The Kwara state government has said that it is committed to promoting the welfare of workers and the people of the state.
The assurance was made by the state commissioner for communications, Mrs Bola Olukoju, in reaction to the press briefing of the labour unions, which issued a 14-day ultimatum upon demands for the implementation of some outstanding allowances and emoluments.
The governor’s aide said that the present administration, despite being among the third-lowest recipients of federal allocations, has fewer rivals in the country in terms of prompt payment of salaries and the general welfare of workers.
She also said that the administration favours dialogue, mutual respect, collective bargaining, and commitment to sustainable economic growth, adding that “Already, the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abdulkadir Mahe, has been asked to initiate a new round of dialogue with the unions.”.
“We, therefore, urge the labour unions to embrace dialogue and continue to reciprocate the goodwill of the government over the years in the overall interest of the taxpayers and the general public.
“In the wake of and since the removal of subsidies by the Federal Government, the administration has committed an additional N1,392,135,000.00 every month to the payment of palliatives to the workers alone.
“As things stand today at the state level, an average of 74.06% of federal allocation to the state goes into the payment of salaries and allowances for workers alone.
This does not include the cost of providing government services or any public emergency. At the local government level, between 80% and 95% of their monthly allocations go into paying workers’ salaries alone.
“This leaves just a pittance for the rest of the population and developmental projects. It is worse at the local government level.
This often forces the government to resort to different financial strategies, including loans, to maintain or expand existing infrastructure and develop new ones to ensure socioeconomic growth and human capital development.
“Regardless, the administration understands the critical roles that workers play in the implementation of projects, policies, and programmes of government and will continue to pay attention to the welfare of workers in a sustainable way. To this end, the government is already doing a lot of reviews to gradually accommodate the demands.
“From the Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff to the Governor, and Office of the Head of Service, among others, the door of the government is always open to the leadership of the labour unions for constructive engagement.”
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