More states join the minimum wage strike

Following the failure of some state governments to implement the new N18,000 minimum wage, workers in Ekiti, Imo and Anambra states yesterday embarked on indefinite strike to press home their demands.

This brings to seven, the number of states that have been crippled by the strike. Before yesterday, Adamawa, Enugu, Kano and Ebonyi states had been shackled by minimum wage-related industrial action.

Workers decried government’s evasive posture in Ekiti State 

At a time the state government was making arrangements to pay the wage beginning from September and had sent a supplementary budget to the House of Assembly, workers in Ekiti elected to go on strike from today because the government failed to meet their terms and conditions over the matter.

Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in the state, Comrade Ayodeji Aluko, stated that their action became inevitable since the state government had failed to meet workers’ expectation on the payment of the new salary.

The NLC boss said the action would commence 12 midnight today and it would be binding on all public officers in the state civil service .

Aluko said that the N15, 000 minimum wage being proposed for workers was unacceptable, saying anything short of what is recognized by law would be rejected by labour.

The NLC boss expressed surprise over what he described as the reluctance and evasive posture put up by the state government over the payment despite the resolve of labour to be civil and rational in their approach.

The state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, had earlier assured workers in the state of his readiness to pay the new minimum wage by end of this month.

Okorocha’s failure to sign cripples Imo

In Imo, workers yesterday grounded government activities indefinitely, following “the refusal of the state government to sign the N18,000 minimum wage table jointly prepared by government and labour.”

The NLC Chairman, Dr. Reginald Anyadike, announced the commencement of the indefinite industrial action yesterday when he addressed workers at the State Secretariat Complex, Port Harcourt Road, Owerri.

He said: “The organised labour in Imo State is highly disappointed at the level of unseriousness exhibited by government as against the brotherly love and solidarity shown to Owelle’s government by labour in the state.”

In a joint statement, the State Chairman of Trade Union Congress, TUC, Comrade O. J. Onyekawa and Anyadike directed workers to “remain at home till further notice.”

Workers cripple Anambra over non-payment

In Anambra, the labour strike hammer fell on the state yesterday over the state government’s failure to implement the minimum wage as directed by the Federal Government.

National head of the NLC announced commencement of an indefinite strike in Awka, at 1:30pm yesterday.

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-By CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, CHIDI NKWOPARA, GBENGA ARIYIBI & ENYIM ENYIM

Source: Vanguard