Ekiti: Labour threatens protest over minimum wage, unpaid arrears

Labour unions in Ekiti State have threatened to start the new year with a protest if the state government fails to implement the N30,000 minimum wage and the consequential adjustment to workers across board. The labour unions, which threatened to protest next week, demanded that Governor Kayode Fayemi must pay all the promotion and salary arrears to all categories […]

Labour unions in Ekiti State have threatened to start the new year with a protest if the state government fails to implement the N30,000 minimum wage and the consequential adjustment to workers across board.

The labour unions, which threatened to protest next week, demanded that Governor Kayode Fayemi must pay all the promotion and salary arrears to all categories of workers as negotiated, to avert labour unrest in Ekiti.

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Shortly after the minimum wage was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018, Governor Fayemi implemented the payment to workers on grade levels 01 to 06, promising to effect across board when the finances of the state improve.

The threat to embark on a strike to welcome the state into the new year was reached at a meeting held by trade unions operating in the state on Tuesday evening.

It was contained in a communique signed by the Chairmen of Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Coms Kolapo Olatunde; Trade Union Congress,TUC, Sola Adigun; and Joint Negotiating Committee, Kayode Fatomiluyi, which was released to newsmen on Wednesday.

The labour unions said they reached a compromise on the implementation with the government before a strange formula was allegedly introduced to stall the process.

Subsequently, the labour directed; “that the agreed New minimum wage and consequential adjustment table should be sustained without any concession.

“That the new minimum wage and consequential adjustment implementation should commence for payment in January 2021 with the accruable arrears from April 2020.

“That all arrears of promotions for years 2017, 2018 and 2019; arrears of leave bonuses for years 2016, 2017,2018,2019 and 2020 as well as six years for local governments, subverted institutions and four years for State workers salary arrears and deductions should be paid in earnest.

“That the organised labour should with immediate effect report to the enlarged workers at the State Secretariat complex to allow adequate information to the generality of workforce.

“That failure on the part of the state government to implement the new minimum wage and consequential adjustment as negotiated, as well as various outstanding arrears, the organised labour should mobilise workers for peaceful protest in the first week of January, 2021.”