Abia state:

Otti denies receiving money for wage award

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has denied his government did not receive any money from the Federal Government to implement N35,000 wage award for workers in the state.

The governor, however, promised to look into the wage award demands of Abia workers, reiterating his administration’s commitment to enhancing welfare of members of the state workforce.

Otti who disclosed this during a meeting with the leadership of the organized labour in the state said, the new Ministry will have its commissioner from the labour fold, and reassured that his administration would continue to honour its promise to pay salaries to Abia workers on the 28th day of every month, and his administration has not defaulted on the commitment.

He also promised to raise the take-home pay of hard working civil servants in the light of the present economic realities, stressing that, the proposal had been delayed by the difficulty in reaching an agreement on the new minimum wage between the organised labour unions and the Federal Government.

Governor Otti said, Abia will be amongst the first to pay whatever becomes the new national minimum wage, and urged the workers to have patience, understanding and make self-sacrifices of hardwork to get their reward.