FGs annual wage bill hits N1trn - Yayale

THE Federal Governments wage bill per annum has hit the N1trillion mark, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mahmud Yayale Ahmed has said.He also expressed concern over the low productivity of workers and poor service delivery in the public service sector of the economy.Ahmed spoke when he received the  leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by its president, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.The SGF urged the organised labour to join hands with the government in searching for ways to raise the productivity of workers and their service delivery to a level commensurate to their pay.He said while the government believed that workers were entitled to be paid the right wage, it was also necessary to ensure that the declining productivity of workers was reversed with a view to ensuring that workers gave their best for the development of the country. Ahmed also ordered all the ministries, departments and agencies of government to ensure that leakages in government expenditure and revenue be blocked in order to give the nation the driving force.He said: No nation can develop without a highly productive work force, adding that, areas of leakages in government expenditure and revenue must be blocked so that the money could be used for national development.On government/labour relations committee which he chairs,  Ahmed said that the committee had been a useful platform where issues of mutual interest between the government and labour were discussed and resolved amicably.Earlier, the NLC president, Comrade Abdulwaheedd Omar, told the SGF that the newly elected leaders of the NLC, were in his office to express their appreciation for the excellent way he handled issues concerning labour matters on behalf of the Federal Government.The labour leader recalled the important role played by the SGF in reaching agreement on the N18,000 national minimum wage, the bill of which was signed recently by President Goodluck Jonathan to give it a legal backing.Comrade Omar urged the SGF to revive the government/labour relations committee and expressed the hope that the cordial relationship between labour and the Federal Government would be sustained for the benefit of the nation.
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