The Nasarawa State Chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has said it will not accept one-sided payment of N30, 000 minimum wage across the state.
Comrade Yusuf Iya, the state chairman of NLC, stated this in an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital.
Iya explained that the union had observed that the government only wanted to implement the minimum wage for workers in grade levels 1-6 without the corresponding consequential adjustments for other grade levels.
He said: “Let me make it categorically clear that the implementation made by the Nasarawa State Government negates the principles and procedures of minimum wage implementation.
“Implementation of minimum wage required that there must be a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), duly signed by both parties or employers and employees and a template must be adopted for reference purpose.
“A copy of the agreement must be domiciled at the office of the Hon Minister of Labour and Employment, but non of the requirements has been fulfilled in Nasarawa State,” he added.
He stated further that the state government acted the way it did for the fear of the threat by the Minister of Labour to drag any state yet to implement the new national minimum wage to court.
The NLC Chairman also said that, even in the so-called implementation, local government workers in grade levels 1-6 were sidelined.
He added that; “it also means that any graduate who entered the service of the state from grade level seven and above cannot benefit from the minimum wage.”
He further said that the so-called implementation was just a mirage because if the outstanding promotions of over ten years were to be implemented, non of the beneficiary would still be at the level he or she is now.
He said; “with this implementation, only a total of 3,300 workers are to benefit out of a total of 16,000 workers and the union cannot accept this.”
The NLC Chairman said the union had issued a 21-day notice of strike and subsequently issued a seven-day notice after the first one expired in line with labour laws.
He explained that if the government failed to do the needful after the expiration of the seven-day notice on Wednesday, June 8, the union would embark on indefinite strike action.
He further explained that the traditional council in the state had intervened and appealed that the union should give them till Thursday, June 10 to interface with the governor with a view of addressing it.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
