Nasarawa State Government Minimum Wage Implementation A Mirage – NLC
The Nasarawa State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described as a mirage, the implementation of minimum wage by the State Government.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday (June 8, 2021) in Lafia the State capital, Nasarawa State NLC Chairman, Comrade Yusuf Iya said the government only wants to implement a minimum wage increase for workers from GL01 to 06, “without the corresponding consequential adjustments for other grade levels.”
According to the NLC Chairman, the implementation is a mirage because it meant only 3,300 workers will benefit out of the 16,000 workers and the union cannot accept it.
Comrade Yusuf Iya also stated that the implementation made by the Nasarawa State Government also negates the principles and procedures of minimum wage implementation.
He said: “Implementation of minimum wage required that there must be a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) duly signed by both parties or employers and employees and a template must be adopted for reference purposes.
“A copy of the agreement must be domiciled at the office of the Hon Minister of Labour and Employment, but none of the requirements has been fulfilled in Nasarawa State,” the NLC chairman said.
He alleged that Local Government workers on GL 01 to 06 were sidelined.
The NLC Chairman said already the union has issued a 21-day notice of strike and subsequently issued a seven-day notice after the first one expired in line with labour laws.
He explained that if the government fails to do the needful after the expiration of the seven-day notice on Wednesday (June 9, 2021), the union would embark on indefinite strike action.
He further explained that the Traditional Council of Chiefs had intervened and appealed that the union should give them till Thursday, June 10, to meet with the governor with a view to addressing the problems.
Recall that the Accountant General of Nasarawa State, Mr Zakka Yakubu, had on Thursday June 3, announced a partial implementation of the minimum wage for workers on GL01 to 06.
