Workers Day: Organised Labour Calls on Kogi Govt to pay ₦35,000 Wage Award
From Emmanuel Adeyemi
The Kogi State Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress,(NLC), Comrade Gabriel Amari, has called on the state government to consider the payment of ₦35,000 as a wage award to workers in the state to ameliorate their sufferings.
Amari disclosed this on Wednesday in Lokoja during the Workers’ Day celebration saying
the current N30,000 National Minimum Wage falls short of meeting the basic needs of workers in the prevailing market conditions of the Country.
“We advocate for the immediate implementation of a Wage Award totalling around N35,000 in Kogi State. This adjustment is not only fair but also urgent, given the relentless rise in the costs of goods and services, which continuously erodes the purchasing power of Workers.
“Until the long-awaited negotiations for a new minimum wage are concluded and put into effect, the Wage Award would serve as a temporary relief for Workers grappling with the current economic hardships.
“The Organized Labour in the state urges the Kogi State Government to align itself with other states that have already heeded the recommendations of the President regarding the payment of Wage Award to Nigerian Workers. By doing so, Kogi would demonstrate its commitment to the welfare and well-being of its workforce.
“According to the March 2024 publications from the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS),
national inflation stands at 33.4 per cent, with food inflation in Kogi State exceeding 44 per cent, the highest in Nigeria. These staggering statistics reflect the challenges faced by Kogi workers, whose salaries already possess the lowest purchasing power in the country.
“To worsen the plights of Kogi Workers, they contend with the non-cash backing of promotions and annual increments for many years at both the State and Local Government levels.
“Additionally, the failure to implement existing agreements for the payment of Leave Bonuses further compounds their challenges. These issues, alongside various other obstacles, impede the productivity of workers in the state and continually undermine the dignity of the Kogi workforce.
“Labour also advocates for the Government to address the following specific concerns. Payment of weigh-in allowance for workers in media houses. Restoration of the 27.5% teachers’ peculiar allowance for teachers in primary and secondary schools in Kogi state. Issuance of all outstanding promotion letters to deserving Workers. Payment of the 2018 20 per cent balance of the three-month percentage salary for State Workers
“Full implementation of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for all Health Workers. Provision of affordable owner-occupier housing for Workers. Provision of operational vehicles, financial interventions and recruitment for Parastatals and Ministries especially: Kogi Radio, Sports Councils, Graphic Newspaper and Kogi State Fire Service,” he stated.
