Salaries: Dickson meets with labour, seeks collaboration to wipe out payroll fraud
Taiwo Owoeye
A crucial meeting between the Bayelsa State Government and labour has ended on Saturday, with the leadership of labour requesting for more time to hold further consultations with its members to properly articulate and consider the various options initiated by the government to address the payment of salaries of workers.
During the meeting, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson said that the issue of sanitizing the payroll system in the State, remained a major priority of the government to check future delays in the payment of workers’ salaries.
According to him, to resolve the lingering delay in the payment of salaries of civil servants, labour should be prepared to collaborate with the government in its current efforts at sanitizing the system.
Dickson said the intention of the government was to establish a workable system that will stand the test of time, adding that, if properly handled, it will put the issue payroll and other fraudulent practices associated with the civil service at the State and Local Government levels to a final rest.
While commending labour for their understanding and patience during this difficult period, he emphasised that the government has set up a judicial commission of inquiry, to validate the authentic workforce of the State, with a view to expunging the ghost workers’ syndrome from the payroll system for the good of the state.
Dickson called on labour to assist the state government in its aggressive tax drive, adding that, with an improved internally generated revenue, the government would be able to pay salaries and meet other obligations to the people.
He explained that, the government embarked on the international cargo airport and other infrastructure development projects to attract investment to shore up the revenue profile of the state.
“With an improved internally generated revenue through aggressive tax drive and the massive infrastructural development of the state such as the cargo airport Bayelsa will get there”, he stated.