The Abia State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) recently has cautioned the union’s national president, Ayuba Wabba, to support the state government in doing more for its employees rather than criticizing it for whatever grounds.
Announcing the warning to newsmen in Umuahia on Saturday, the NLC state chairman Uchenna Obigwe said that the state government has properly implemented the minimum wage for workers in Abia.
Wabba recently accused the Abia State Government of failing to implement the minimum wage during a public lecture held by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
Obigwe, however, called the claim “a copious misrepresentation and misinformation,” noting that in 2019, the state government established a minimum wage committee with organized labor, which was led by Chris Okoro, a former state chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, and was responsible for establishing the N30,000 state minimum wage.
He pointed out that Abia’s minimum salary of N30,000 has elevated the state above other South-East states at the moment.
“The ₦30,000.00 minimum wage for Abia State by all ramifications was and is still the best in the South East. What Ebonyi State workers are presently receiving is what Abia State workers took as minimum wage in 2011.
“Anambra State only added N3,000 to their 2011 minimum wage while Enugu State added N4,000 to their 2011 minimum wage and just started paying 60 per cent Consolidated Health Salary Structure and Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to their health workers just last year, Imo State is yet to do anything on the issue of 2019 ₦30,000.00 minimum wage.
“It is, therefore, surprising and preposterous to say that the Abia State Government has not implemented the 2019 ₦30,000 minimum wage,” Obigwe said.
Obigwe asked the national leadership of the NLC to encourage the state administration to do more for Abia workers instead of denigrating the state for whatever reasons on behalf of the Organized Labor in Abia State.
