James Ojo, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that it would occupy states that refuse to pay the new minimum wage by the end of May.
Addressing a rally to sensitise workers ahead of tomorrow’s May Day celebration, President of the Civil Service Union and National Vice President of NLC, Amaechi Uchechukwu, said that the focus of this year’s celebration was on the implementation of the new minimum wage.
President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Minimum Wage Bill into law early this month with a charge to workers to be more committed and supportive to his administration’s effort to fix the economy and rebuild the poor infrastructure he met on assumption of office.
According to the President, the implementation takes immediate effect and it is for all workers across the federation with exception of organisations with less than 25 staff. Buhari’s assent to the minimum wage repealed the former Act and empowered the Enactment Act 2019.
The assent also makes it compulsory for all employers of labour in Nigeria to pay their workers N30,000. It also empowers workers not to accept wage less than N30,000 and power to sue any employer that pays below the new wage.
The NCSU President had said, “we expect the money to be paid by the end of May 2019. The problem we have is with the state governors because some of them will not want to pay. We have asked them to cut down on their excesses to accommodate workers’ welfare.
“We will occupy any state that refuses to pay at the end of May. It will be war between organised labour and any state that fails to implement it by the end of May 2019.
“They must pay the arrears of April and full May salaries because the new minimum wage was signed in April 2019 and it took effect on that day. On the part of the Federal Government, we do not have any problem but we are ready to engage state governments on this matter,” he said.
It was really a long journey for the new wage of N30,000 to become a reality. Just like others before it, the new minimum wage also has its fair share of protests, threats, ultimatum and strike.
The present National Minimum Wage Committee was inaugurated in November 2017 by President Muhammad Buhari after consistent agitations by organised labour, but could not commence work until March 2018 with timelines to deliver on its mandate of arriving at a new national minimum wage in August/September 2018. The date was, however, truncated by the government.