-Threatens Industrial Action
The Trade Union Congress has given state governments that are yet to implement the N30, 000 new minimum wage up until January 31 to comply or risk industrial action from workers.
The Trade Union Congress has issued an ultimatum up till January 31, 2020, to state governments that are yet to implement the N30, 000 new minimum wage up or risk industrial action from workers.
The union gave the demand in a press statement issued at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Lagos on Thursday. The statement signed by the President, TUC, Quadri Olaleye and the Secretary-General, TUC, Musa Lawal, reads in part
“The congress advises all state governments that have not complied with the implementation and immediate payment of the N30, 000 new national minimum wages to commence negotiations and implementation on or before 31st January 2020.
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“Otherwise, the state governments should be responsible for the consequences of their failure. State councils have been directed to commence mobilisation of their members immediately.”
About fifteen states have reportedly refused to implement the consequential salaries of the minimum wage, the states include, Anambra, Enugu, Rivers, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Cross River, Benue, Gombe, Osun, Sokoto, Oyo, Niger, Ogun, Kwara, and Taraba States.
While Lagos, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kastina and Borno states had agreed to pay the new minimum wage, other states started negotiations few days to the end of the December 31, 2019 deadline.
The Organised Labour said it would meet to review the minimum wage negotiations between states and workers across Nigeria, on Monday.
Commenting further on the current status of the minimum wage, Olaleye said six states had signed to commence the implementation, while 15 states would soon conclude negotiations.
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He noted that if the states failed to pay the minimum wage, they were disobeying a directive from the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
Reminded that labour had earlier given the states a December 31 deadline to comply with the minimum wage payment, Olaleye argued that the December 31 ultimatum did not emanate from the TUC.
Other issues addressed in the communiqué included insecurity, casual and contract staff in various sectors of the economy and the need to review the existing labour law and warned against any attempt to remove labour matters from the exclusive legislative list.
The Secretary-General of the NLC, Emmanuel Ugboaja, said during an interview in Abuja that although NLC had not extended the deadline beyond December 31, 2019, it was being cautious in taking action that would truncate negotiation processes in the states.
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