About sixteen states have completed negotiations on consequential adjustments and started paying the N30, 000 minimum wage to workers, the Nigeria Labour Congress has said.

The states include Lagos, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Jigawa, Yobe, Katsina, Ondo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Bayelsa, FCT, Anambra and Akwa – Ibom.

NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba disclosed this during a meeting with members of the National Administrative Council (NAC) on Tuesday in Abuja.

The NAC also discussed the security challenge in the country, the decision of the Federal Government to borrow N2tn from the Pension Fund and casualisation of workers, especially by banks.

He said organised labour was not consulted on the decision of the government to borrow from the money.

Wabba said the union will keep its eyes open in order to ensure the safety of the N10 trillion pension funds.

“We will keep our eyes very open to ensure the safety of those funds and we also urge government to respect the provision of the law because it is only the pension fund administrator (PFA) that can actually invest the fund in such a way and manner that the safety of the funds will be guaranteed and there will be maximum return on investment.

Wabba said that while seventeen states were on the negotiating table, Taraba state government was yet to set up a committee to begin dialogue with labour leaders in the state.


He called on the state government to inaugurate a committee in order to commence dialogue.

Wabba said: “We have been able to make some progress. As I speak to you today from the initial six states that we mentioned in the last press conference, today we have 16 that have signed and commenced (payment).

“We have about three that have reached agreement but have not signed. We have about seventeen that negotiation is ongoing. I can say authoritatively that it is only in Taraba that nothing has started.

“The committee has not been inaugurated, the process of dialogue has not commenced and therefore, I want to use this medium to call on the Taraba state government to quickly respect the provision of the minimum wage Act.”

He insisted that there is no excuse for any state government not to pay the minimum wage since it had become a law.

Wabba said: “The minimum wage Act is already a law and every political officeholder must respect the sanctity of our constitution and also the sanctity of the oath of office they have sworn to uphold.

“If a worker is entitled to be paid his wages, the wages must be commensurate to what have been negotiated.

“Minimum wage implementation is observed in 90 per cent of the countries of the world and we cannot be an exception.

“There is no excuse for any state not to pay (the minimum wage). 85 per cent of the VAT increase goes to the state. Therefore, they don’t have any excuse not to pay workers the minimum wage, a minimum wage that will be negotiated not a minimum wage that will be a peanut that cannot even take a worker home.”

He berated the River State government for sealing off the state secretariat of the NLC.

“We condemn in very strong term the undemocratic action of the Rivers state government who went in the night to seal off NLC Rivers state secretariat under the laughable pretense of structural integrity. It is a shame.

“It is a clear violation of the International Labour Organisation Convention of 87, 98 and the labour Act which retrain public authorities from taking such action.

“We demand immediate opening of the office and respect for workers’ rights,” he said.

jimyjames:
Oyo , Ogun , osun and ekiti are not there what's happening to south west states , I thought nairaland amotekun vigilante guys claim Ibadan is richer than the entire south east

jimyjames:
Oyo , Ogun , osun and ekiti are not there what's happening to south west states , I thought nairaland amotekun vigilante guys claim Ibadan is richer than the entire south east

muykem:
That's fake list na. Bayelsa has not paid a dime as minimum wage.

Sammy07:


Anambra has not paid the minimum wage, so what are you saying

The list is a fake list.

jimyjames:


Where is the real list?

Sammy07:


No where to be found.
Most of those states are still under negotiates and have set up committee.
Most of them haven't paid minimum wage.
You know it as well as i

jimyjames:


My friend you don't have the real list, so don't trash the fake one

The states include Lagos, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Jigawa, Yobe, Katsina, Ondo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Bayelsa, FCT, Anambra and Akwa – Ibom.

Maxymilliano:


River State is not in same league with Jigawa and Yobe. Governor Nyesom Wike better wake up to his responsibility and attend to the demand of the NLC.

Sammy07:


What's he doing with machete ??

Confirmedzombie:
Imagine not even one state from the south East.
Shame on Igbos.

Igbos are useless pigs and chest beaters.

Ndi Ara

Ewedegubbler:
I know say Kogi will come last.. they have used their destiny to play bet9ja

Confirmedzombie:
Imagine not even one state from the south East.
Shame on Igbos.

Igbos are useless pigs and chest beaters.

Ndi Ara

Renforce:
Nice! Seems okowa is governing a diff country's state