Labour Union ready for A showdown with Rivers State Govt over Minimum Wage
Grace Udoh Uyo
Civil servants in Rivers state may be heading for a show down with the state government over the issue of the thirty thousand naira national minimum wage.
This follows a call by the Rivers state Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress for the state government to immediately reconvene a meeting of the negotiation committee on the National minimum wage.
In a communique issued at the end of a meeting of all public sector Unions affiliated to the NLC, the union said what was paid to workers as January Salary was no a reflection of the new National Minimum Wage.
The communique which was signed by the Chairperson of NLC in Rivers state, Beatrice Itubo added that the amount that was paid was not a product of the principle of collective bargaining between the government and the labour.
The communique read in part, ” arising from a meeting of all public sector unions affiliated to NLC at the state Secretariat today, the unions resolved that what was paid as January salary was not a reflection of the new National Minimum Wage nor a product of the principle of collective bargaining between the Government and Labour.
“NLC also insisted that henceforth it will not tolerate the nonchalant attitude of the government towards its employees and urge workers to be at alert and committed to their work as well as remain resolute as NLC will not be complacent rather must ensure that their welfare is given top priority”.
Last week the state government paid the January salaries to state workers but some civil servants claimed that what they received did not reflect the new minimum wage structure.