Ekiti workers set for showdown with govt over unpaid minimum wage, arrears

Labour crisis is imminent in Ekiti State as workers in the state on Wednesday threatened a showdown with the government in the new year if Governor Kayode Fayemi fails to implement the N30,000 minimum wage and the consequential adjustment to workers across the board.

The labour unions, which threatened to protest next week, said the only way labour crisis could be averted is the payment of all the promotion and salary arrears to all categories of workers as negotiated shortly after the minimum wage was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018.

It would be recalled that Governor Fayemi implemented the payment to workers on grade levels 01 to 06, promising to effect across the board when the finances of the state improved.

The threat to embark on a strike to welcome the state into the new year was reached at a meeting held by trade unions operating in the state on Tuesday evening. The communiqué conveying the message released to journalists on Wednesday was signed by chairmen of Nigerian Labour Congress Kolapo Olatunde, Trade Union Congress Sola Adigun, and Joint Negotiating Committee Kayode Fatomiluyi.

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The labour unions said they reached a compromise on the implementation with the government before a strange formula was allegedly introduced to stall the process. Subsequently, the labour directed “that the agreed new minimum wage and consequential adjustment table should be sustained without any concession”.

“That the new minimum wage and consequential adjustment implementation should commence for payment in January 2021 with the accruable arrears from April 2020.

“That all arrears of promotions for years 2017, 2018 and 2019; arrears of leave bonuses for years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 as well as six years for local governments, subvented institutions and four years for state workers salary arrears and deductions should be paid in earnest.

“That the organised labour should with immediate effect report to the enlarged workers at the State Secretariat complex to allow adequate information to the generality of the workforce.

“That failure on the part of the state government to implement the new minimum wage and consequential adjustment as negotiated, as well as various outstanding arrears, the organised labour should mobilise workers for peaceful protest in the first week of January 2021,” the unions said.