Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has announced a new minimum wage of N40,000 for the state’s workers.
The governor made this announcement during the Workers’ Day celebration at the U.J Esuene Stadium in Calabar.
Mr Otu, who said that the new wage implementation aligns with the realities of the time in the state rather than sentiments, revealed that under his administration, the payment of salaries, workers’ wages, and pension entitlements continues to be prioritized as a first-line charge.
“Owing to the peculiarity of Cross River State regarding its lean finances occasioned by low Statutory Federal Allocation and aggravated by the unfavorable State GDP to Debt servicing ratio, the new wage implementation is in line with the realities of the time rather than sentiments,” he said.
For the backlog of gratuity in the state, which dates back to 2014, the governor appealed for patience, saying, “Government is presently on the verge of concluding necessary arrangements for the staggered payment of outstanding gratuity to its retired workers.”
He stressed that the theme for this year’s Workers’ Day is “People First,” and interestingly coincides with my administration’s mantra.
“Accordingly, whatever action aimed at alleviating the suffering of the workers is readily embraced by me. One of such measures is the payment of a living wage to the workforce. May I, therefore, state categorically that the government of Cross River State, under my leadership, is willing and ready to put smiles on the faces of its workers and in line with the season of sweetness which characterizes my administration,” the governor added.
