The organised labour in Kwara State is worried over what it described as the insincerity of the state government on the issue of implementation of the new minimum wage for workers.
The labour movement said it arrived at the conclusion after a look at the situation surrounding the non-payment of the minimum wage in the state since April 2019, after the bill was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
This is according to a press statement issued by the body in Ilorin on Thursday.
The statement titled ‘ Insincerity of Government on the Issue of Minimum Wage in Kwara State’ was signed by the state NLC chairman, Aliyu Issa Ore, Comrade Joseph Tunde, Acting chairman, TUC, and Comrade Saliu Suleiman, chairman JNC.
It said the government inaugurated the minimum wage committee on December 29, 2019, but up till the moment, the issue remains inconclusive.
“Out of the 36 states of the federation, over 94 percent has overcome the issue of minimum wage and even provided other welfare packages to the workers of their various states for effective and efficient service delivery.
“It is worrisome, to note that in Kwara state, we are still a merry-go-round on the issue of minimum wage, despite the current allocation of revenue and internally generated revenue in the state.
“The government has resorted to probating and reprobating on the minimum wage issue, all in the sense of denying the workers and the economy of the state a stimulus factor for growth and development of human beings in the state,” the statement added.
It further expressed worry that “the committee at the last meeting rejected attempts to smuggle into the discussion, a table that was not agreed by the labour side on payment of the little amounts as a consequential adjustment for GL-07, and above in the state cannot be accepted by the movement.”
The organised labour, however, passionately appealed to workers in the state to embark on serious prayers against all forces working against the signing and implementation of the minimum wage in the state.
DAILY POST reports that a suit in respect of the controversial minimum wage filed by the state government will come up for further hearing on Thursday, January 14, 2021, at the Akure division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN.
