Minimum Wage: Labour Insists On December 31 Ultimatum
The Organized Labour has insisted that the December 31 Ultimatum to State government conclude discussions on the Consequential Adjustment for the payment of N30, 000 new minimum wage remains.
It has also directed states to 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.
A communique issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, at the end of One Day Stakeholders’ Meeting on the Implementation of the New National Minimum Wage at the State Level held in Abuja, directed states that were still on the discussion table to expedite discussions to conclude the negotiations on or before the 31st of December 2019.
The communique was signed by Comrades Ayuba Wabba, Emmanuel Ugboaja, NLC President and General Secretary respectively as well as Abdulrafiu A. Adeniji, National Chairperson Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side).
The communique read, “After very robust consideration of the foregoing scenarios, the meeting resolved as follows: “Commended the Federal Government and the States which have already commenced the implementation and payment of the new national minimum wage arising from negotiations with organized labour.
The meeting also appreciated and applauded directives by the Federal Government to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to pay minimum wage arrears by 31st December 2019; “Decided that 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; and “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 One day Stakeholders’ meeting was on the Implementation of the new National Minimum Wage of N30,000 and the consequential adjustment in salaries.
The meeting had in attendance the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, all the State Chairpersons of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Chairpersons of Joint Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side) from states, the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Heads of Service of States and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The stakeholders in exhaustive deliberations on the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage in both states and local governments across the country 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.
