NLC vows to pursue new wage implementation before January

• Warning strike grounds govt agencies in Kaduna
• Labour says Ebonyi gov’s threat irresponsible

Activities in some state Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Kaduna State Government were comatose, yesterday, following the warning strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to ensure full implementation of the minimum wage.

NLC vowed to see to the full implementation of the new minimum wage of N70,000 in the states before next year.

It tagged as irresponsible the threat by Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State to sack and replace any state worker who did not go to work within 72 hours.

Kaduna NLC Chairman, Ayuba Suleiman, had in a statement accused the state government of refusing to implement the minimum wage.

But the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Ibraheem Musa, debunked the claim, saying the N72,000 minimum wage was implemented in the October salary.

“The issue is not about the minimum wage, but about the consequential adjustments. We urge patience, as the state’s limited revenue, which comprises an average monthly allocation of N8 billion from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and N4 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), makes it difficult to implement the adjustments immediately,” the CPS said.

The NLC chairman dismissed the explanation, saying, “We met on Saturday, but no agreement was reached. We will continue with the strike until our demands are met.”

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, at the opening session of the NLC 2024 Harmattan School in Abuja, yesterday, said the organised labour would not be intimidated by governors, who were not ready to implement the new national wage floor.

Ajaero charged affiliate unions and state councils to ensure that every state implemented of the minimum wage this year.

“We urge you all to ensure that it is appropriate, and complete implementation does not enter into the new year. To this end, you are all urged to put your hands on deck to ensure the effective implementation of the new minimum wage,” he stated.

The NLC president admitted that the minimum wage would only benefit a few workers who operate in the formal sector, while a majority of the workers in the informal sector might not benefit or have voices that would fight for their rights.

While calling on his colleagues to brace up for harassment and physical assaults, Ajaero submitted that arrest and detention of labour leaders would not deter them from confronting any state government not willing to implement the wage after the December 1, 2024, deadline.

He added that in pursuit of a better life for workers, labour leaders must be prepared to pay whatever price laid on their path unless they want to be counted among those who betrayed the cause.

BRIEFING journalists in his office in Abakaliki on the one-week warning strike by Labour in the state, Nwifuru insisted that he was not owing any worker in the state, querying the reason for the strike.

Labour in the state, on Sunday, directed workers to embark on a one-week warning strike over the non-implementation of the proper new minimum wage.

Nwifuru insisted that his administration had implemented the new minimum wage as directed by the President, adding that he was paying the new minimum wage according to agreement.

He said, “If you did not go to work. Not only that I will not pay you salary, but I will replace you within 72 hours in your office. I am paying you what is supposed to be paid according to the agreement and Constitution. So, if you do not go to work within 72 hours, I will replace you.

“I have called the chairman of the Civil Service Commission. I have directed all the commissioners to go to their offices. All MDAs’ staff must be in their offices and record the people that came to work.”

But NLC described the threat as irresponsible.

Ajaero, who said he was dismayed by the statement credited to Nwifuru, urged the workers already on strike not to yield to the governor’s threats, but rather sustain the momentum until the governor sees the need to pay the minimum wage in compliance with the law.

He said Nwifuru was the first to draw blood in a matter of which he was completely guilty, stating that a governor acting reasonably ought to have invited the labour leaders in the state for dialogue for a speedy resolution of the facts in issue.

“But he thinks he is God. We also want the world to know that the right of response is available to us in pursuance of a just cause,” he added.

To this end, Congress directed all the affiliates, including private-sector unions, to immediately join the strike.