Minimum Wage: Governors discriminate against LG workers, teachers

By Victor Ahiuma-Young, Wole Mosadomi, Francis Igata, & Marie-Therese Nanlong

Information from Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Abuja headquarters has it that “in spite of the law on the new minimum wage, the signed agreements with state governments, the passage of time, some state governments have barely fully implemented the law.

Jang:

In some states, teachers and local government workers are yet to be paid the minimum wages. This is not only an affront to the law, but an assault on workers in line with the doctrine of an injury to one is an injury to all. All necessary effort should be made to ensure that non-minimum-wage paying states should be made to pay by or face the wrath of workers.”

Ebony workers set for strike: “In Ebonyi, leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, are said to be negotiating with the state over the full implementation of the minimum wage for workers in the state.“Speaking withLabour Vanguard, state chairman, Joint Pubic Service Negotiating Council, Ikechukwu Nwafor, said workers had earlier embarked on three days warning strike in January to compel the government to fully implement the new wage. “According to him, the state government had constituted a-14 man committee to look into the new wage with a view towards its implementation.

Indefinite strike

“He said “The government is not being sincere with us. The committee has submitted its report but we are yet to hear from the Governor, SSG and Head of Service. What they are trying to do is alter our report. We will reject it. We will fight against it with the last drop of our blood. In fact, if this negotiation fails, we are going to embark on indefinite strike throughout the end of this administration”.

Reacting, the state supervising Commissioner for Information, Dr. Ifeanyi Ike, noted that negotiation was still ongoing between the state government and Labour over wages in the state. “

Anambra workers demand full implementation:  In Anambra State, immediate past government of Peter Obi, instead of implementing the N18.000 minimum wage, just added N10,000  and just recently, the incumbent governor merely effected a15 percent increment to the workers’ salaries which still fell short of the N18.000 minimum wage.

State Chairman of NLC, Patrick Obianyo, who spoke against the backdrop of inability of the state government to give the state workforce a 100 percent minimum wage, however stated that the recent 15 percent increase in workers’ salaries was a welcome devel“

Niger State workers sad:   Most of the civil servants in Niger State are not happy with implementation of the minimum wage by the state government. Chairman of the state NLC, Yahaya Idris Ndako,  said with the Law establishing the NMW, Niger State had implemented the wage to the dissatisfaction of the workers in the state.“He explained that during negotiation between labour and government, Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, threatened that if he must implement the agreement to the letter and with the size of civil servants presented, he would be forced to retrench. Both parties disagreed with that, the only option left was to agree with the terms given.

Plateau govt,  labour negotiating

 Leaders of organized labour in Plateau State in including the State Chairman of  NLC, Jubrin Bancir, State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Ade Akinbo, State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Samson Mafuyai, and the State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Gunshin Yarlings, said but for ongoing negotiation, the workers were planning industrial action.“

Bancir  told Labour Vanguard: “We have some issues with government and we’ve made them known to the authorities; we were planning a strike to press home our demands but right now, the strike is on hold because government has opened up negotiations with us and we are waiting to see the outcome.

“The minimum wage issue had been settled based on our agreement but we hope the government will keep its own part of the agreement once the bio-metric capturing exercise is over.”

Similarly, Akinbo of the TUC said: “Plateau State has domesticated the national minimum wage but negotiation differs, our members from Plateau State have enjoyed the minimum wage but arrears of six months are still pending because minimum wage took effect in April but the state started paying in October. We urge the state to pay up the arrears because the workers deserve the pay.

State NUT Chairman, Yarlings explained: “Those who have already been captured in the ongoing bio-metric capturing exercise are being paid 55% of the minimum wage but those yet to be captured are being owed for about 10 months now. The government said they will pay all arrears when the exercise is completed, that is why we appeal that this thing should be hastened because those without salaries for 10 months are really suffering.

Biometric capturing

By next week, the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, the Local Government Service Commission, LGSC , and the State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs will have a meeting to determine the tentative date at which the bio-metric capturing will be completed. We’ve been patient by receiving the 55% of the minimum wage and we hope government will not renege on the promise of paying us the arrears when the exercise is completed.

Mafuyai of NULGE also said: “As leaders, we are bound by our words; that is why we are keeping our part of the agreement by receiving 55% and awaiting the outcome of bio-metric capturing. Then we will know the authentic number of staff on payroll, we are waiting and we hope we will really smile at the end of the exercise which we hope will come very soon.”