MINIMUM WAGE: Labour Upholds Threat, Issues 21 Days Strike Notice in Niger As Plateau Begins Talks

Organised Labour in Nigeria has started pulling through its threat not to guarantee industrial harmony in any state which continues to delay consequential adjustment of the National minimum wage

This is coming as the Niger State chapter of the Organized Labour has handed down a 21-day ultimatum to the state government to pay the N30,000 new minimum wage or face an indefinite strike. This was arrived at after it emergency state Executive Council (SEC) meeting in Minna on Friday. 

Labour said it was left with no option than to issue the ultimatum following government’s inability to adequately respond to the issues raised in an earlier letter. 

The labour in a letter, titled “notice of 21 days ultimatum of indefinite strike action” jointly signed by the state Chairman, Comrade Yakubu Garba, state Chairman Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Yunusa D. Tanimu pointed out that “the organized labour in the state has resolved to once more demand from the government the implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage, consequential adjustment and also payment of the accrued arrears before Monday, 4th February 2020. 

The Niger state government had said that its 2020 budget is based on the payment of the N30,000 minimum wage. 

The commissioners for Planning Alhaji Mamman Musa and that of Finance, Alhaji Zakari Abubakar while giving the breakdown of the budget in Minna recently said like other aspects of the budget the implementation will commence once the fiscal estimates is passed by the house of assembly and assented to by the governor

The commissioners declined to say exactly when the minimum wage payment will commence but said “…everything in the budget will be implemented in 2020.” 

They further submitted that the state will not have difficulty in paying the N30,000 minimum wage because they are already paying N22,500, and that what they need now is N7,500, which has been taken care of that in the budget

Meanwhile a story by NAN says the Plateau Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), says it is still negotiating with the state government on the consequential adjustments of the N30,000 minimum wage.

Eugene Manji, the state NLC Chairman, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Jos.

The national secretariat of NLC had issued a December 31 ultimatum to state governments to implement the new minimum wage or face industrial action.

Mr Manji said series of meetings had been held with the government on the consequential adjustments but added that an agreement was yet to be reached on the template.

“We started negotiation with government on Dec. 30, 2019 and they made some offer on what they intended to pay.

“We went and studied the offer and reconvened on Dec. 31, 2019 and we rejected it.

“They asked the salary and wages department to come up with a new offer on Thursday and we are to meet again to look at it,” he said.

He said that outcome of the meeting would determine the NLC’s next line of action.

Mr Manji said that the national body of the NLC had been informed of the ongoing negotiation on the new minimum wage.