From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Governor Alex Otti is slated to meet with all State Chairmen and Secretaries of the affiliate unions under the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
This is as the state has debunked the claim by the NLC that it was yet to start the implementation of the new minimum wage in the state.
A statement to this effect, endorsed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Abia, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha said the meeting which is slated for Tuesday, at 8.30am, will hold at the state secretariat, Umuahia.
Although no reason was given for the meeting, but it is expected that Government and the organized labour in the state would use it to straighten grey areas arising from the implementation of the new minimum wage which began in the state in October.
Meanwhile, the State Government has disputed the claim by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that it is among the 14 states yet to implement the N70,000 new minimum wage.
The NLC had listed Abia as one of the states which were yet to start the implementation of the new minimum wage and threatened that workers in the state would join in a strike over the non-compliance.
At a joint press conference with the state leadership of the Organised Labour at the Government House in Umuahia, Caleb Ajagba, Chief of Staff to the Governor, clarified that Abia State began implementing the new minimum wage in October.
He expressed surprise at the NLC’s inclusion of Abia among the defaulting states, even when the state was one of the first to pay workers the new minimum wage.
“It is misinformation that Abia State has not started implementing the new minimum wage. Abia workers received their first salary according to the new wage in October, and the same was done in November,” Ajagba stated.
He reiterated Governor Alex Otti’s commitment to prioritizing the welfare of Abia workers and maintaining industrial harmony.
The State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro, and the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Ihechi Eneogwe, in their respective speeches confirmed that Abia State had begun implementing the new minimum wage in October.
However, they noted that there were discrepancies in the salaries of workers between grade levels 8 and 16.
“Abia implemented the minimum wage in October, but it did not fully benefit all workers. It favored workers from levels 1 to 7, while those from levels 8 to 16 were not adequately addressed,” Okoro explained.
“After noticing this anomaly, the Organized Labour wrote a letter to the government, urging that workers between levels 8 and 16 should be better placed.”
Okoro further emphasized that after the implementation, workers at level 7 were paid more than those at level 10, which he said should not have been the case.