Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is deploying national officers to states where negotiation and implementation of the N30,000 national minimum wage are facing hitches.
This comes as the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) is playing down on its threat to disrupt activities in states that failed to pay the minimum wage by January 31, 2020.
So far, 13 states are paying, while 16 are negotiating or at the point of sealing agreements with labour to pay the new wage.
The national officers, according to the NLC, will strengthen the capacity of state councils of the congress to engage their respective governments on why the implementation of the new wage can no longer be delayed.
The NLC had given state governments up to the end of December 2019 to negotiate the consequential salary adjustments arising from the new national minimum wage and implement it accordingly.
The union arrived at the decision to deploy its national officers during the National Administration Council (NAC) meeting which held in Abuja on February 4.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the NAC meeting and signed by Ayuba Wabba, president, and Emmanuel Ugboaja, general secretary of the NLC, respectively, the NLC commended the Federal Government for keeping to its promise to implement the new minimum wage, including payment of arrears. It also commended 13 state governments who have begun the implementation, saying this shows that “wherever there is a will, there will always be a way.”
The NLC said it placed a high premium on the implementation of the new minimum wage in states alongside the consequential adjustments.
It further observed a relatively high level of compliance with agreements signed in 16 states, negotiations on-going in others, with only about three states where no significant progress has taken place. It said it had given the go-ahead to state councils to embark on appropriate industrial action where governments’ compliance or co-operation is in the breach.
It said: “In view of the importance congress attaches to the issue of a minimum wage, the NAC resolved to send national officers to states where there are challenges to strengthen their hand or action.
