The Abia State government has approved the payment of a N15,000.00 wage award to civil servants for three months, effective July.
The approval came about 48 hours after the government signed a seven-point Memoranda of Understanding with the organised labour in the state last weekend to avert a strike threat.
The commissioner for information and culture, Okey Kanu, stated this in Umuahia, the state capital while briefing journalists on the conduct of this week’s State Executive Council meeting, chaired by Governor Alex Otti.
Kanu said that because of Governor Otti’s commitment to the workers’ welfare, he had accepted to pay them a total wage award of N45,000.00 over the period.
He said, “The wage award is part of the state government’s efforts to cushion the effects of the prevailing economic hardship in the country.”
Similarly, he explained that the government would soon pay annual leave allowances to civil servants who observe their annual leave.
“We inherited accumulated leave allowances, but all that would be a thing of the past now following the commitment Otti made even before the meeting with the organised labour,” he said.
According to the commissioner, once any civil servant is due for annual leave, he or she will be paid his or her leave allowance immediately.
