Minimum wage: States move to avert NLC strike

Minimum wage: States move to avert NLC strike

State governments that have not yet implemented the new minimum wage are scrambling to meet the December 1 deadline set by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

This is sequel to a warning from the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) of potential confrontations with non-compliant states.

As the deadline approached, Katsina and Nasarawa States approved the immediate implementation of the new N70,000 minimum wage. They said workers would start receiving the revised salaries in December.

The Katsina State Government reached an agreement with labour unions on Friday after intense negotiations, averting the planned strike.

Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule approved N70,500 as the new minimum wage for state workers, following discussions and approval by the state committee on the new national minimum wage.

The approval was announced by the chairman of the committee, who is also the state’s deputy governor, Emmanuel Akabe, during a meeting with committee members in Lafia, the state capital.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had, on October 14, announced N73,000 as the new minimum wage for all civil servants in Ondo.

The acting chairman of the NLC in the state, Ademola Olapade, yesterday said the new minimum wage would be paid with the November salary of the government workers.

Gombe NLC mum as LG workers decry non-implementation

The Gombe State chapter of the NLC has remained silent regarding the non-implementation of the N71,451 new minimum wage for local government employees.

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In October, the state government signed an agreement with the labour to introduce the new wage structure for all civil servants in the state.

While the implementation began on October 30 for state civil servants, the adjustments varied significantly across cadres.

For instance, a Level 03 worker receives N64,000 after deductions; and Level 12, N78,000.

However, local government employees, who received their salaries two weeks into November, saw an increase of N12,000 on the old minimum wage of N18,000, bringing their total to just N31,000-far below the agreed-upon N71,451.

When contacted over the discrepancy, the state NLC chairman, Yusuf Aish Bello, did not respond to calls or messages as of the time of reporting.

‘Computation delaying implementation in Bayelsa’

The labour in Bayelsa State said the delay in the implementation of the N80,000 new minimum wage was due to flaws in the computation of the consequential adjustment by the committee set up by both the government and labour unions.

After a meeting with Bayelsa State Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, labour leaders acknowledged the government’s approval of the new wage, but confirmed that the implementation would now take effect in December 2024, rather than the initially anticipated November.

Barnabas Simon, NLC Chairman in Bayelsa, Laye Julius, TUC Chairman and Mbeleokpo Andabai, JNC Chairman, in a joint statement, said the flawed computation was being reviewed by a joint committee formed by both the government and organized labour.

Strike declared in Kaduna, Ebonyi

The leadership of the TUC and the NLC in Kaduna State has declared a one-week warning strike in the state beginning today following the non-implementation of the new minimum wage.

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Abdullahi A. Danfulani and Abdullahi Y. Mohammed, Chairman and Secretary of TUC, respectively, said, “During the State Executive Council  meeting on November 30, 2024, the council condemned the unilateral implementation of the consequential adjustments, which undermines the principles of collective bargaining.”

But Governor Uba Sani said the state had begun implementing the national minimum wage, refuting faulting the NLC’s claims.

In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ibraheem Musa, criticised NLC for including Kaduna in the list of states that haD not complied, calling it “grossly unfair.”

He SAID the lowest-paid worker in the state received N72,000 as gross salary in November.

The NLC in Ebonyi State announced a one-week strike, starting today.

At a press briefing in Abakaliki, Oguguo Egwu, the state chairman of the NLC, said before the minimum wage implementation committee finalised its recommendations, Governor Francis Nwifuru made a unilateral announcement of wage awards: NGN75,000 for Grade Levels 1 and 2, and NGN40,000 across the board, which were declared during a church service at the Government House Chapel on October 27, 2024.

We’re collating reports – Labour

The national leadership of NLC said it would be unfair to states that have complied with the implementation of the new N70,000 national minimum wage if it declares a nationwide strike action.

It, however, clarified that the strike would not begin in states today as being speculated in some quarters because a committee set up at the headquarters of the NLC was still collating reports from various states after which it would offer proper advice regarding this issue.

NLC President Joe Ajaero disclosed this in Abuja during the weekend during a roundtable organised by the Labour Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria, in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation.

He said states that would face the wrath of the movement include those that refused to implement their pronouncements and set up the committees.

Minimum wage: States move to avert NLC strike

DAILY TRUST