The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, on Wednesday faulted the radio announcement by the state government on approval for implementation of the new N30,000 minimum wage in the state with effect from December 2019.
The Labour said that in the spirit of collective bargaining, it was wrong for the state government to go on air and announce what has not been mutually agreed upon by the two parties.
The Head of Service, Effiong Essein, had in a statement on Tuesday said the state Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has approved the implementation of the new N30,000 minimum wage in Akwa Ibom state with effect from December 2019.
He said the gesture was in fulfillment of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s earlier assurances to the workers on the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage.
“The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has adopted and approved the payment of the New Minimum Wage in Akwa Ibom State with the Federal Government Negotiated Consequential adjustment percentages increase with effect from January, 2020,” he said.
But in a swift reaction, the chairman of the NLC in the state, Comrade Sunny James said the Union did not agree with the proposal of government to pay the federal percentage of consequential adjustments on grade level 7-14
He said, “The issue now is that the state government adopted the federal government percentage of consequential adjustments to pay but we did not agree with them.
“We asked them to put something on level 7-14 which is still down, so they went and announced on radio when they don’t have such right to do so. What they have done is wrong in the interest of collective bargaining.
“What you have heard is government’s report, the Union now is arranging its house and we are going to give our own report.”
James said the Union was insisting on the percentage already approved by governments in the Niger Delta States, including Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa.
He expressed surprise that rather than resolve the issue with the Union, the state rushed into announcing the federal government percentage which was rejected at a meeting held last Thursday.
On pension, the state labour boss said the state government was yet to harmonise anything with the Union on pension, adding that the committee set up by the state government to look into the health workers’ salary disparity has not given its report.
