The Joint public negotiating council comprising of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade union Congress (TUC) in Taraba state, has said the inability of the Taraba state governor, Darius Ishaku to sign the N30, 000.00 national minimum wage for civil servants into law shows that the governor is insensitive to the plight of workers in the state.
The also council demanded the immediate signing of the Agreement within seven days and implementation of the same in the September salaries, beyond which they will embark on an industrial showdown.
This is just as the Taraba state government says negotiation is still ongoing.
At a press briefing Tuesday in Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, northeast Nigeria, the chairman of the council, Wilfred Yambakan described the action as an attempt to deny the workers of their rights.
Yambakan explained that “The minimum wage of 30, 000.00 was signed into law in Nigeria on the 8th April 2019 and the law allowed states to negotiate and pay the minimum wage based on their ability and capacity.
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“In Taraba State, the mandate was obtained, negotiations commenced and concluded on 3rd March 2020. The negotiations assigned by both parties was presented to his Excellency the Governor for consideration and further directive for the signing of the agreement on the new national minimum wage and its consequential adjustments.
“Government requested a grace of three months to implement the negotiated minimum wage in the state in view of the ravaging effects of coronavirus on the global economy which Taraba state was not immune from. Today is exactly 5 months when the grace period was granted and no indication by the government to sign the agreement let alone implement its content demanded for the immediate signing of the Agreement within seven days and implementation of same in the September salaries, beyond which we will embark on industrial showdown,” Yambakan Explained.
The labour leader stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic was not an excuse for the government to handle a mundane matter like the N30, 000.00 minimum wage.
He said even in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the state has conducted local councils election and PDP Congresses yet workers’ new minimum wage was not attended to in the name of COVID-19.
Reacting to the development in a telephone interview with our correspondent, the Special Adviser to the governor on media and publicity Bala Dan Abu, who pleaded with the council not to embark on an industrial showdown said negotiation was still ongoing.
While appreciating labour for their patience Abu said “the law allows every state to pay the minimum wage according to its capacity, so we are appealing to labour to await the outcome of the negotiation”.
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