By VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG, Jimoh Babatunde & TONY EDIKE
ORGANISED Labour yesterday vowed to make any state that failed to honour the agreement on the implementation of N18.000 new Minimum wage ungovernable for the governor, saying it would wage war against such governor until he either bend or break.

Speaking against the backdrop of increasing doubt over the willingness of some state governors to pay the new wage despite agreement to do so under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, any governor that would not pay and honour the Minimum Wage Act, should prepare to leave office after August.

It will be recalled that Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, had Thursday warned that labour would declare a national strike without notice should government renaege on the agreement reached with leaders of Nigerian workers on Tuesday, July 19.

President-General of TUC, Comrade Peter Esele, at the 54 Annual General Meeting, AGM, of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, while reacting to reports that some governors were planning to jettison the agreement said, ““I hope the report that the governors are considering pulling out of Tuesday’s agreement on the implementation of the N18.000 new minimum wage is not true. If they do, we will declare an indefinite strike without notice. There will be no negotiations until after the strike.”

Sounding a note of warning to recalcitrant governors, Acting General Secretary of NLC, Comrade Owei Lakemfa, said: “We are sure that the governors are men of honour. The governors have entred into an agreement with the working people to not just pay, but respect the law of the land as they had sworn to.

They swore to obey the law of the land and the constitution. We do not think that the governors will disobey the nation’s law like the Minimum Wage Act. Again, we do not think there are dissidents among the governors who want to tear the agreement reached with the Nigerian workers.”

“If there are, then such governors are not fit to remain as governors because they are not worthy to live among decent and law abiding citizens. If there are recalcitrant governors who truly do not want to pay or honour the agreement, then, they will have Nigerian workers, the Nigerian people and law abiding people of the this country to contend with.

If there are governors who want to disobey the nation’s law, the nation’s constitution which they swore to obey, we will wage war against such governors and make sure that their pay or leave office because Nigeria will be too hot for any executive law breaker.”

Governors, Labour’s pact

Earlier the same day, the Governors’ Forum and Labour’s agreement states AThe 36 States of the Federation agree to comply with the new National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2011;

The State shall conclude negotiations with Labour on the implementation of the new minimum wage not later than July 31, 2011; Detailed negotiations on salary across board will be done with a view to effecting payments by August 2011, while modalities for payment of the minimum wage will be worked out according to the peculiarities of each state;

The 36 States agree that the effective date for the implementation of the new minimum wage shall not be later than 1st August 2011 provided that any worker who earned less than the =N18,000 between 1st April and the effective date of the implementation of the new minimum wage shall be paid arrears of the difference;

The time frame for the payment of the arrears of the difference of the new minimum wage effective April 1, 2011 shall not be later than October, 2011; No State shall victimize any worker in any manner or form as a consequence of the implementation of the new minimum wage; In the face of the commitment by the Governors, labour resolves to suspend the 3-day warning strike called for this week in the states.

Fayemi seeks improved productivity

Similarly, Governor Kayode Fayemi yesterday said since the state had agreed to pay the N18.000 new minimum wage, the workers should be ready to up their productivity.

Speaking at the domestic terminal of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Two (MMA2), Fayemi noted that the state was presently going through a transformation process to professionalize its civil service .

While refuting reports that the state had sacked over 5000 workers for alleged fake certificates and age falsifications among other crimes, the governor said he was determined to professionalize the state civil service to make it accountable and transparent to service the people optimally.

Fayemi said “If we have agreed to pay you 18,000 which is what you have demanded, then your productivity should be commensurate to the 18,000 naira that you want to be paid because there is no free launch anywhere not even in Free Town”

He said the government would no longer tolerate a situation where 20 per cent of the workload in the state was done by a few workers, stressing that workers’ productivity should be commensurate with the 18,000 naira minimum wage the state had agreed to pay.

“If we want to run a social service in which we want everybody to be on money, you don’t even have to come to work to be on money, stay at home. We will give money to those who want to work. Let them go to work and they will be paid for the work they do.

Let us be very, very clear, we must make up our minds, this 20, 80 rule that everybody knows must not always be like that. And if it is 20 percent that is doing the work, then let us sit down and know that we are going to pay the 20 percent and we will pay the 80 percent who are sitting at home social security benefits. But if you are at work, you should be prepared to work and deliver services to the people of Nigeria.”

“And let me tell you, we did not sack anybody, we have not sacked any worker. We have a transformation process in order to professionalize our public service in Ekiti State. Those who are affected by the process, they know what to do. If you are accused of having presented irregular certificate or forged record or doctored your aged, there are mechanisms and process in place to address that.

Once you have done that then the situation is regularised. But if you have not done that, you cannot suggest that you have been sacked except you have chosen to sack yourself. One thing that has to be made very clear is this, we must make up our minds whether we want to run a professional accountable and transparent public service or we want to run a social service.”

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/prepare-to-quit-if-you-can%E2%80%99t-pay-labour-tells-governors/