State Government workers reject N70,000 minimum wage, demand consequential adjustment
The Organised Labour in Abia State has rejected the implementation of the minimum wage of N70,000.
The workers, however, demanded ‘consequential adjustment’ in the implementation of the package.
Addressing the press after a meeting with the state government which ended around 7.45 pm on Wednesday, the state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Ogbonnaya Okoro, said, “The Organised Labour, comprising the NLC, Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiating Council, were at the Government House to continue with the negotiation on the consequential adjustment on the minimum wage.”
He said, “The committee set up for this assignment with our technical team met with the government team this evening. On Friday last week, we submitted our template to the labour side and they told us that they would study it and invite us for another round of meetings.
“We were surprised that yesterday (Tuesday), the information commissioner went on air to tell the whole Abians that the government has approved the N70,000 minimum wage and we were taken aback.
“We asked: which template did the government use in approving the N70,000?
“After some time, they invited us for a meeting this evening and here we are. The meeting is ongoing and we have adjourned and the meeting will continue till tomorrow (Thursday).”
He said “The N70,000 is a law and that is for Level 1 step 1 and it is sacrosanct. You don’t touch or go below it, instead, increase.
“Rivers State increased its own to N85,000, Akwa Ibom, to N80,000, but the minimum you can approve is N70,000.
“When we talk about consequential adjustment, it has to do with people from Grade Level 1, 2, till Grade 17 and in that order.
“There are percentages that are involved in working out these modalities for every person. In Abia, we don’t have Levels 1 and 2, but we must start from Level 1 to count it so that we will know what other levels are due to have. So for now, the discussion is ongoing,” he said.
On the rumour that the state government only added N40,000 to the salary structure, Okoro said, “Based on the N70,000 approval, the Federal Government approved 133.33 per cent for Level 1, that is N77,500 for the basic.
“For Abia State, since the governor approved N70,000, that amount is for Level 1 Step 1. So, from Level 1 Step 2, there should be a difference between the N70,000 of Level 1 Step 1 and Level 1 Step 2.
“So it should be in that order till Step 15 and as well as in the other grades till Level 17 so that there will be a remarkable difference between a Level 5 officer and a Level 10 officer to Level 17.
“So, that is the essence of the discussion on that consequential adjustment and, at the end of the day, nobody will feel cheated.”
He advised workers in the state to ignore the N40,000 addition rumour, adding that a formidable salary structure would be realised for the workers.
