The Nigeria Labour Congress has vowed to shutdown some states who fail to implement the N30, 000 new minimum wage signed into law in April this year by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Labour union has given the states December 31 to conclude all negotiations on the consequential adjustment and begin full implementation of the wage.
The NLC is worried that some states have failed to setup a negotiating committee between them and organised labour on the consequential adjustment of salaries.
In a communique issued at the end of a one day stakeholders’ meeting on the implementation of the new national minimum wage in Abuja, NLC noted that organised labour could not guarantee industrial harmony in any state that failed to implement the new wage.
The communique was jointly signed by NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, its General Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, and National Chairperson, Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side), Comrade Abdulrafiu A. Adeniji.
Some of the state who are yet to setup negotiating committee include: Bauchi, Yobe, Rivers, Benue, Gombe, Kwara, Imo, Osun and Ekiti.
Others are: Oyo, Anambra, Taraba, Cross River, Ogun, Enugu, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kogi and Delta States.
It noted that oranised labour in the states would work in harmony to ensure that all workers enjoy the full benefit of the new national minimum wage.
It commended Kaduna, Kebbi, Lagos, Adamawa and Jigawa State for the implementation and payment of the new national minimum wage.
The communique reads: “Each State should immediately convoke an emergency State Executive Council meeting and State Congress of all workers to brief them of the outcome of the stakeholders’ meeting on the new national minimum wage implementation;
“States that are still on the discussion table (Category 2) should expedite discussions to conclude the negotiations on or before the 31st of December 2019;
“States which have not commenced discussion should quickly constitute a Negotiating Committee and expeditiously conclude discussions on salary adjustment consequent on the new national minimum wage on or before 31st December, 2019; and
“In the event that any state fails to comply with these resolutions on or before 31st December, 2019, organised labour would not guarantee industrial harmony in such states.”
