Labour fumes as Kano pays N18,000 minimum wage for November, December

Kano State Government’s default on its pledge to implement the N30,000 minimum wage has unsettled the organised labour in the state.

The Guardian gathered that civil servants in the state received the equivalent of the N18,000 minimum wage for November and December 2020.

The Federal Government had, in October 2019, approved N30,000 as minimum wage for workers and directed states and private entities to adopt it.

Kano was the first state in the country to declare readiness to adopt the new wage; in fact, it promised to pay N30,600.

However, the labour union raised concern when the government slashed workers’ October 2020 salaries without prior notice, which was probably due to the economic crisis occasioned by coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The situation worsened when workers received the old wage in their November and December 2020 salaries.

A civil servant with one of the ministries, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that his November and December 2020 salaries were based on the N18,000 minimum wage.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, were unsuccessful.

Nevertheless, the Kano State Joint Negotiation Council (JNC) has vowed to take drastic action against the government, if it fails to revert to the new wage.

Chairman of JNC, Hashim Saleh, told journalists that the council was awaiting government’s reply to the official notice written to it on the illegal reversal to old minimum wage.

“When the deduction started in October 2020, the council was inaugurated to mediate with the government on the development. The government said the development was as a result of poor revenue occasioned by COVID-19.

“The government also cited a drop in its monthly allocation from the Federal Government. They, however, promised to return to the new wage when the situation improves. But, the salaries of November and December 2020 were the worst. It is unacceptable.

“We have officially written to the government and we are waiting to hear the reply. The labour unions will not hesitate to take drastic measures if the government failed to do the needful,” Hashim lamented.