As the deadline given by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) for the implementation of the N70,000 new minimum wage draws closer, our findings indicate workers in nine states may down tools by November ending if the payment of the new wage isn’t effected.
The threat of public servants embarking on strike by the end of November in the affected states and the FCT, is sequel to the directive by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that state chapters should mobilize their members to stop work if their state governors fail to implement the new wage.
As at the time of this report, the states were workers may go on strike are Cross River, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, Osun, Sokoto and Plateau. In Zamfara, the picture is even glimmer as the state government just recently commenced the payment of the old N30,000 minimum wage to its workers.
Monday Ogbodum, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), chairman in the state, informed journalists negotiations were still ongoing and no amount had been agreed upon.
He however, said that whatever amount would be agreed would not be less than the N70,000 template provided by the federal government.
Therefore, unless the governors of the nine states are proactive enough and conclude negotiations with workers in their respective states, the State chapters of the NLC would heed the directive from the national body and ground government business in their states.
From our findings, 25 state governors have approved the implementation of the new minimum wage and commenced paying the new wage to public workers.
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In Delta State, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, commenced the payment of a new minimum wage of N77,500 on October 28 to civil servants.
Civil servants in Rivers State will be smiling by November ending when they’re expected to begin receiving alerts from their various banks after the Governor Siminalayi Fubara administration approved and promised to pay a new minimum wage of N85,000.
The Bayelsa State Government had approved N80,000 as the new minimum wage, with implementation to start November 1, 2024, just as Akwa Ibom State approved the same amount with a commencement date of October, while outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had in May announced a N70,000 minimum wage package for civil servants.
In the North-East, only the governors of Borno and Adamawa States have agreed to the new wage implementation, with the governors of Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe States still dragging their feet. Adamawa started paying the new wage in August.
Labour leaders spoken to in the four states still lagging behind, confirmed that workers will not hesitate to go on strike should their governors fail to implement the new wage by the end of November.
Our correspondent in Abakaliki reports three states in the South East agreed to pay the N70,000 minimum wage to their workers with effect from October. The states are Anambra, Imo and Abia.
On the other hand, Enugu State has approved a new minimum wage of N80,000, while Ebonyi State is paying N75,000 effective from October.
