Workers’s Day: Labour Leaders Urge Bayelsa Govt To Improve Workers Welfare
From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
Labour leaders in Bayelsa State have called on Governor Douye Diri’s administration to prioritize the welfare of workers for efficient and effective service delivery.
The leaders, speaking on the sidelines of the 2025 Workers’ Day celebration in Yenagoa, lamented the poor welfare of workers, particularly concerning unpaid salary arrears and working conditions.
Comr. Richman Otobo, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), expressed sadness over the treatment of teachers, saying the state government has performed below expectations regarding teachers’ welfare.
He urged the government to pay the 2015, 2016, and 2017 salary arrears owed to secondary school teachers and implement the 2023 and 2024 promotions for primary school teachers.
Comr. Sonia Andabai Mbeleokpo, State Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, appealed for the renovation of hospitals and equipment with up-to-date facilities to enable nurses to work effectively.
She also called for the implementation of call duty allowances for specialized areas like E&T Nurses, Kidney Nurses, and Psychiatric Nurses.
Mbeleokpo who is also the Chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council highlighted the shortage of nurses and midwives in primary healthcare centers, citing Bayelsa’s high infant mortality rate in the South-South region,.
She urged the government to employ nurses and midwives at these centers in order to address these issues to improve the welfare of workers and enhance service delivery at the grassroots.
