Minimum Wage: Organised labour to begin warning strike Wednesday
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige
Organised Labour comprising of Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigeria Labour Congress (TUC) in Ogun State on Monday said they have resolved to embark on two days warning strike with effect from Thursday.
The Labour unions unless the state government invite the workers for discussion on consequential adjustment on the new N30,000 minimum wage on or before Wednesday this week.
The workers stated this in a joint press statement signed by the state leaderships of both NLC and TUC, Comr Bankole Emmanuel and Comr Fajobi Olubunmi as well as Comr Folorunso Olanrewaju and Comr Adebiyi Olusegun, of the Joint Negotiating Council state Chairman and Coordinating Secretary respectively.
Addressing reporters at the NLC Secretariat at Leme, Abeokuta, Comr Bankole Emmanuel said it was very distressing that despite writing the state government five times between August and December on the need to set up the negotiation committee to determine the consequential adjustment on the new minimum wage, Governor Dapo Abiodun – led administration failed to attend to their demand.
Bankole lamented that instead of listening to their calls and attend to their demand so that Ogun workers, like their counterparts elsewhere could enjoy the minimum wage signed into law since April 2019, the workers’ knowledge of the state government’s position was by media reports credited to the state government that the new minimum wage had been factored into 2020 budget.
The media report also claimed that the state government was already in talk with the organised labour whereas the contrary was the case.
He said: “We view these claim and comment as reflective of the stand of the state government on the issue and thus infer that the government is clearly unwilling to implement the new minimum wage in the state let alone negotiate its consequential adjustments.”
The organised labour said it was opposed to the foot dragging of the state government on this subject matter and that having exhausted the laid down procedures, the entire workforce of the state would therefore proceed on two days warning strike from Thursday 19th to Friday 20th, 2019.
