Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State governor, has said his administration has doubled the life and health insurance for all front line health workers to cushion the hazard they face during the ongoing battle against coronavirus disease.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed this in an event held at the government, Marina on Friday to commemorate the 2020 Workers’ Day.
The Governor expressed satisfaction towards the front line health and emergency workers, describing them as heroes, for sacrificing their well being and putting in efforts to ensure that the spread of the Coronavirus disease is curbed.
He also said his administration will continue to assist families of workers who die in the line of duty, stating that the state has not stopped paying 418 pensioners for their pension bond arrears despite the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: “ I dedicate this year’s commemoration of the Workers’ Day to celebrating the true heroes of this season, which are the health workers on the front line of the battle against Covid-19.
”Since the coronavirus pandemic started to ravage our communities and disrupt our lives, these heroes have not just been going to work daily, they have been going to war daily against this unseen enemy.
“Workers across public and private sectors, who are represented by various Labour Unions, are the engine-rooms of our economy, and the nucleus of wealth generation.
”My administration will always work towards having a good relationship with workers for the progress and prosperity of our State.
The immediate approval and payment of the new minimum wage is proof that we care about the welfare of our workforce.
”With effect from last January, we have increased the employers’ contribution to employees’ Retirement Savings Account (RSA) from 7.5 percent to 10 percent.
”As part of the ongoing efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in Lagos, we approved a 400 percent increment in the Hazard Allowance of Health Officers in the state for the month of April.
”We have also introduced a COVID-19 allowance for all our front line workers, which is a very generous amount that takes cognizance of the heightened risks of the jobs they have to do.”
”All these are intended to appreciate the dedication of all our Health Officers in the fight against COVID-19,” he added.