The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned state governments across the federation that organised labour will not guarantee industrial harmony if they failed to commence the payment of the new minimum wage of N30,000 by December 31 Deadline.
This was contained in a communiqué issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the end of One -Day Stakeholders’ Meeting on the Implementation of the New National Minimum Wage in Abuja on December 11, 2019.
The communiqué signed by the NLC President Ayuba Wabba, NLC General Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja, Abdulrafiu A. Adeniji, National Chairperson, Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side), appreciated and applauded directives by the Federal Government to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to pay minimum wage arrears by 31st December, 2019.
According to the communiqué, organized labour in the states comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, and the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side) would work in harmony to ensure that all workers enjoy the full benefit of the new National Minimum Wage;
“Each State should immediately convoke an emergency State Executive Council meeting and State Congress of all workers to brief them of the outcome of the stakeholders’ meeting on the new national minimum wage implementation;
“States that are still on the discussion table (Category 2) should expedite discussions to conclude the negotiations on or before the 31st of December 2019.
“States which have not commenced discussion should quickly constitute a Negotiating Committee and expeditiously conclude discussions on salary adjustment consequent on the new national minimum wage on or before 31st December, 2019.
“In the event that any state fails to comply with these resolutions on or before 31st December, 2019, organized labour would not guarantee industrial harmony in such states,” the communiqué said.
The stakeholders took note of the report from all the states and from the report distilled three categories of scenarios on the implementation of the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustment of salaries into which all the states fell.
These categories are as follows: States which have commenced the implementation and payment of the new national minimum wage. These states include Kaduna, Kebbi, Lagos, Adamawa and Jigawa States (Jigawa had concluded negotiations but is yet to make its first payment to workers).
Others are states which have constituted a Negotiating Committee between their State Government and Labour on the consequential adjustment in salaries following the new national minimum wage. These states include Borno, Abia, Kano, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Niger, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Ondo, Ebonyi, Katsina and Zamfara States.
The rest are states which have not put in place a Negotiating Committee between the State Government and Labour on the consequential adjustment of salaries. The States include Bauchi, Yobe, Rivers, Benue, Gombe, Kwara, Imo, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, Anambra, Taraba, Cross River, Ogun, Enugu, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kogi and Delta States.
