Bayelsa State workers have commended Governor Douye Diri for his administration’s unwavering commitment to labour welfare, describing it as “kind and responsive” during this year’s Workers’ Day celebration held at the Peace Park in Yenagoa..
In a joint address by the state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), labour leaders lauded Governor Diri for a raft of policies and interventions they say have improved the lot of civil servants across the state.
State NLC Chairman, Comrade Barnabas Simon, and his TUC counterpart, Comrade Laye Julius, who jointly presented the address, said the governor’s efforts had brought real and visible changes to the state’s workforce.
The Union said, “It is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that your administration has been kind to Bayelsa workers. Before making fresh demands, we must first express our deep appreciation for your genuine commitment to the welfare of workers.”
Among the achievements cited were the recent 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increase for civil servants, the approval and backdated payment of arrears from January to April 2025, prompt and regular payment of salaries and pensions, and the implementation of the new N80,000 national minimum wage.
Also cited were the conduct of long-awaited promotion exercises, construction and inauguration of the NLC/TUC twin secretariat, and the commencement of a nine-storey new workers’ secretariat complex in Yenagoa.
The unions equally praised the Governor’s assent to the Education Officers Law, resolving lingering grade level issues for judiciary workers, and integrating local government staff into the new wage payment system via the Oracle platform.
Despite the commendations, the unions made fresh appeals, including the implementation of pending promotion arrears for staff of the Hospitals Management Board and judiciary workers, and the construction of civil servants’ quarters and affordable housing schemes.
Governor Douye Diri, responding at the event, thanked the workers and announced solidarity with them, noting his own roots as a teacher and son of a classroom educator.
“I know firsthand the sacrifices you make and the hope you carry for a better tomorrow,” Diri said.
To the cheers of workers, the Governor handed over two brand-new buses to the NLC and TUC as part of his administration’s effort to support the unions’ logistics.
“That was one recurring demand, and today we’ve solved it,” he declared.
He also promised that official vehicles would soon be provided for permanent secretaries and additional shuttle buses for the wider workforce.
In a policy move likely to impact technical education in the state, Diri directed the immediate release of funds for the relocation and take-off of the Bayelsa Polytechnic at Aleibiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area (LGA) and for the accreditation of its programmes.
The event was attended by top government functionaries, labour leaders, and hundreds of workers who turned out in celebration of May Day.
