Organized Labour in Nasarawa StateThreatens Indefinite Strike
By Chris Nyamtu
The organized labour in Nasarawa State has given the state government up to the end of August 2024 to commence payment of the financial promotion entitlements of civil servants in the state amounting to over two hundred and fifty million Naira before the implementation of the approved new National Minimum Wage to avert indefinite strike
State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ismaila Okoh, issued the ultimatum at a news briefing in Lafia.
For the past few weeks, the atmosphere around the civil service in Nasarawa State has been characterised by uneasiness, uncertainty and apprehension following repeated pronouncements by the state Government that it was ready to commence payment of the new National Minimum Wage
For instance, at a recent function in Lafia Governor Abdullahi Sule did not mince words in his assurance of implementing the agreed Seventy Thousand Naira minimum wage this month
However, the Governor’s pronouncement to commence payment of the new minimum wage has continued to elicit mixed reactions from civil servants
Speaking with Radio Nigeria at the end of an emergency meeting held with officials of the organised labour, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress Comrade Ismaila Okoh stated that most of the workers had over the years lost a large portion of their monthly salaries amounting to hundreds of thousands due to non implementation of their promotions and annual increment since 2017.
Comrade Okoh maintained that workers had resolved to resist any template allegedly produced by the state government without input from the organised labour to pay the Seventy thousand Naira minimum wage.
The NLC Chairman who noted that civil servants in the state had made enormous sacrifices for the development of the system, stressed the need for the state Government to be deliberate in improving the welfare of workers
Reacting to a purported new salary template for the payment of the new minimum wage, the State Head of Civil Service Ms Abigail Wayah denied knowledge of such a document.
Ms Wayah assured the workers of the state government’s commitment to their welfare.
Meanwhile, officials of organised labour in the state have been engaging in a series of meetings with their affiliated members to prepare for the next action ahead of the August ending ultimatum.
