NLC issues ultimatum to Enugu govt over non-implementation of minimum wage
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Enugu State Council, has issued an, expiring by the end of January, to the Enugu State government to fully implement the N30,000 minimum wage.
The Chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr Virginus Nwobodo, disclosed this on Thursday in Enugu while briefing newsmen on the activities of the union.
Nwobodo said the council was surprised that two years after the state government announced the implementation of the new wage, the same government has not been able to pay its workers. However, only workers in the core state government ministries are currently being paid while their colleagues in government agencies and departments were yet to be paid.
Also, public school teachers under the employment of the state government as well as local government workers are also not benefitting.
Nwobodo said that the council had for long made entreaties to the state government to ensure the full implementation of the minimum wage across all sectors of the state’s workforce.
According to him, workers in the parastatals, agencies and government departments are the core service providers and there is no reason to deny them the minimum wage.
“We want to inform the state government that these classes of workers have waited for too long to be paid.
“If the state government fails to pay them from this January, the NLC will no longer guarantee industrial harmony in the state.
“We will mobilise our members for industrial action to press home the demand,” he said.
He said that any state governor that had not fully implemented the payment of the new wage is not worker friendly.
“Why pay political appointees huge sums but cannot pay the minimum wage? It means that they lack the political will to pay,” he said.
On the non-implementation of the minimum wage at local government level in the state, which had affected public school teachers, Nwobodo said it is unacceptable.
He said though the local government system had its peculiar challenges, all workers must be paid.
He said that government had earlier been issued with a three-day warning strike notice which had elapsed.
‘The state chapter of the NLC has not relented to see that all workers in the state are paid the new wage.
“The local government system is dragging its feet on the mode of payment but we are insisting that they must apply the chart used to pay those at the state level,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the suspension of the proposed peaceful protect as directed by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC, Nwobodo commended the Federal Government for listening to the voice of reason.
He said that the proposed action was suspended because the Federal Government rescinded its decision on fuel subsidy removal. (NAN)
