The Abia branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress has warned the National President of the union, Ayuba Wabba, to encourage the state government to do more for its workers, instead of disparaging the state for whatever reasons known to him.
The NLC state Chairman, Uchenna Obigwe, issued the warning in Umuahia on Saturday while addressing journalists, insisting that the state government had fully implemented the minimum wage for Abia workers.
Wabba, who recently spoke at a public lecture organised by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria had accused the Abia State Government of failing to implement the minimum wage.
But Obigwe described the allegation as a “copious misrepresentation and misinformation,” noting that the state government in 2019, in conjunction with the organised labour constituted a minimum wage committee headed by a former state chairman of Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Chris Okoro, which midwifed the N30,000 minimum wage in the state.
He noted that the N30,000 minimum wage paid to Abia workers had currently placed the state on top and above other South-East states.
“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, on behalf of the Organised Labour in Abia State, advised the national leadership of NLC to rather, “encourage the state government to do more for Abia workers instead of disparaging the state for whatever reasons.”
