Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa has ordered striking civil servants in the state to resume work today, Monday, May 23, or be sacked, as the strike has totally crippled activities of government across the state.

Organised labour on Thursday commenced an industrial action to compel Bayelsa Government to clear the backlog of four months’ salaries owed to workers in the state.

Dickson had told workers in a broadcast monitored in Yenagoa on Sunday that the state had no funds due to dwindling revenue from the federation account and vowed to invoke the No work , no pay rule.

His words: “This strike is unpatriotic, political and uncalled for because we are working to ensure that the salary arrears are cleared, we have an over bloated workforce and our wage bill is unwieldy at over N4 billion monthly.

“I have held several meetings with labour leaders and disclosed the revenue that we get for all to see, we have also offered to pay 50 per cent to ameliorate the sufferings but they turned it down

“I am giving the workers up till Monday to resume work or they forfeit their salaries, it is no work, no pay and anyone that refuses to report for work on Monday should consider himself fired.”

Attempts by workers at Radio Bayelsa to shut down the station where the governor spoke were resisted by the state Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Obuebite.

It was learnt that members of Radio and Television Workers Union (RATAWU) had commenced moves to shut down the Bayelsa government owned radio station but were dispersed by armed policemen who accompanied Obuebite.

Subsequently the Commissioner thwarted the efforts of the workers who had seized the transmitter facility and locked various sections and put the station back on air.

However, after the withdrawal of services took a toll on the services of the broadcast outfit as the regular programmes were suspended and the station played only music for hours without break.

•Photo shows Governor Dickson.

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