Despite assurances from some state governments of progress on the N70,000 national minimum wage, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has drawn a firm line and commenced nationwide industrial action today against non-compliance.
The NLC 2024 National Minimum Wage Implementation Committee Chairman, Amba Titus Audu, stated: “The directive remains unchanged. Any state that has not implemented the new wage or reached a concrete agreement by today should commence industrial action. We are not aware of any contrary developments.”
Audu challenged states claiming compliance to provide evidence of payment. “Pronouncements or agreements without implementation are insufficient. If states have paid the new wage, they must show proof,” he said.
Also, NLC National Treasurer Akeem Ambali criticised states making verbal commitments without formal agreements or financial backing.
“Empty promises or plans to begin payment in January 2025 are unacceptable. These states will face the full force of the strike,” he said. Ambali disclosed that affiliate unions have been mobilised nationwide to enforce the strike, ensuring no state escapes accountability. “Labour law does not recognise promises without negotiation or payment,” he added.
Similarly, NLC’s Head of Protocol and Public Relations, Benson Upah, affirmed that only full implementation would prevent the strike. “Partial compliance or persuasion will not deter us. The minimum wage must be implemented in full,” he stated.
The directive for the strike followed a resolution from the NLC’s National Executive Council (NEC) and Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting, which was held in Port Harcourt on November 8, 2024.
In a letter signed by NLC General Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja, the Congress mandated its state councils to enforce the decision and ensure compliance with the new wage structure.
The letter revealed that some states have not adopted the minimum wage, with workers still receiving the previous wage rates. Highlighted among these defaulting states are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory, Imo, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.
The letter further instructed state councils to begin industrial action immediately to compel compliance, warning that failure to adhere would attract severe consequences from the Congress.
While the NLC appears resolute, reports suggest divisions among states over the strike. Some states have reportedly reached agreements or made commitments, albeit without full implementation.
However, the NLC denied such claims, saying any deviation from the directive would be met with sanctions.
Investigations revealed that some states have made wage announcements but remain non-compliant. For instance, Cross River announced N70,000 but has yet to initiate implementation or negotiations, while Enugu declared N80,000 but lacks agreements on consequential adjustments. Nasarawa, Ekiti, and Ebonyi have made similar announcements without actualising payments.
Aligning with the planned industrial action, the NLC chapter in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) directed workers across the six area councils to commence an indefinite strike.
The council chairman, Knabanyi Idalo, issued the directive in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
Idalo explained that the decision followed the November 8 communique from the NLC’s NEC meeting in Port Harcourt, urging council chairpersons nationwide to implement the N70,000 national minimum wage.
According to Idalo, the chairpersons of the FCT area councils failed to comply with the directive, prompting organised labour to act.
He noted that the union’s State Administrative Council, at a meeting on November 12, unanimously resolved to embark on an indefinite strike if the minimum wage was not implemented by the end of November.
“The directive remains binding unless the government ensures full implementation of the national minimum wage across all area councils,” Idalo stated.
Also, the Ebonyi State chapter directed workers to embark on a one-week warning strike over Governor Francis Nwifuru’s alleged improper implementation of the minimum wage.
Addressing journalists in Abakaliki, the NLC Chairman in the state, Prof Egwu Ogugua, said the strike, which began at midnight on December 1, 2024, was in protest against the N40,000 increment approved for workers on grade level three and above. He described the implementation as selective and unfair.
Ogugua explained that the warning strike aligned with the November 8 directive.
It will be recalled that Nwifuru had earlier announced a N75,000 minimum wage for workers in the state. However, the labour union rejected the implementation, stating it did not follow due process.
“The Minimum Wage Implementation Committee was still fine-tuning its recommendations when the governor unilaterally announced a wage award of N75,000 for grade levels 1 and 2, and N40,000 for grade levels 3 to 16,” Ogugua said, referring to the governor’s pronouncement during a church service on October 27, 2024.
He criticised the decision, stating that proper procedures, including consequential adjustments and agreements signed by both parties, were not followed.
“The salary chart forced on workers lacked minimal progression and failed to undergo consequential adjustments, leaving workers with inadequate take-home pay,” he added.
The NLC chairman disclosed that the Implementation Committee had proposed an acceptable salary chart with consequential adjustments and substantial progression. He noted that the cost implications had been discussed with the governor, but efforts to reach a consensus were ignored.
Ogugua accused the governor of dismissing their appeals to reconsider his stance. “Our last interaction with you on November 27, 2024, where we passionately appealed that you rescind your decision, ended with a resounding ‘No’ from you, crushing the hopes of Ebonyi workers,” he lamented.
In Nasarawa State, the NLC commenced mobilisation for a strike over the state government’s delay in implementing the new National Minimum Wage.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Comrade Ismaila Okoh, the state’s NLC chairman, told The Guardian that workers are dissatisfied with the government’s inaction despite several meetings chaired by Deputy Governor Dr Emmanuel Akabe.
Okoh said the government verbally agreed to pay a minimum wage of N70,500 but has yet to sign a formal agreement outlining the payment terms.
“All affiliate unions have been briefed and directed to prepare for industrial action if the government does not implement the new minimum wage by December 1, 2024,” he said, stressing workers’ determination to see the full implementation of the wage signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
In response, Akabe assured that the state government is committed to paying the N70,500 minimum wage from December 2024, adding that discussions on salary adjustments to reflect the new wage structure were in advanced stages.
Labour unions in Cross River State vowed to commence an indefinite strike over the state government’s failure to implement the new minimum wage.
The state NLC chairman, Gregory Ulayi, announced on Saturday that the strike would begin at midnight yesterday unless the government took immediate action to address the workers’ demands.
Echoing this stance, Monday Ogbodum, the state chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), reiterated that industrial action would proceed if the wage regime was not implemented.
Ogbodum revealed that while negotiations with the state government were ongoing, the unions were prepared to down tools if a concrete resolution was not reached.
“Yes, we are still in talks with the government. We had a meeting on Thursday and another on Friday, which ended late in the evening. There will be another meeting today, but that does not mean everything is resolved, though the government has shown some seriousness.
“Our position is that even if we sign any document or agreement today, that does not necessarily amount to implementation,” he said.
The unions insist that only the immediate implementation of the new minimum wage can avert the strike.
However, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Oyo State chapter, yesterday, clarified that it would not participate in the proposed strike.
The Chairman, Bosun Olabiyi, told The Guardian that the union would not join the strike.
Olabiyi expressed confidence in the Oyo State Government’s handling of the minimum wage issue.
“Oyo State TUC is not part of any industrial action due to implementation or non-implementation of the minimum wage,” Olabiyi said.
“I have been inundated with several calls from newsmen regarding a purported plan for industrial action in some states across Nigeria, with Oyo State mentioned. But as the TUC Oyo State Council, we have full confidence in the state government and the manner in which this matter is being addressed.”
Similarly, workers in Abia State will not embark on industrial action.
The state chapter of the NLC, led by its Chairman, Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro, disclosed this yesterday while addressing journalists in Umuahia.
The NLC national body had earlier announced the strike, saying that Abia was among 14 states yet to commence implementing the national minimum wage.
However, Okoro debunked the claim, stating that the Abia State Government had implemented the N70,000 minimum wage since October and paid it for October and November 2024.
He acknowledged workers’ complaints over statutory deductions and grievances from senior workers on salary grade levels 8 to 16 regarding discrepancies in the consequential adjustment.
Okoro revealed that Governor Alex Otti had directed the Minimum Wage Committee to review the adjustments for these senior workers, noting that issues affecting workers on grade levels 1 to 7 had already been resolved.
According to Okoro, the state government and organised labour have commenced addressing concerns raised by workers on salary grade levels 8 to 16. He emphasised that there was no justification for the planned industrial action, asserting that Abia was not in breach of the minimum wage implementation.
Speaking on the matter, Governor Otti’s Chief of Staff, Dr Caleb Ajagba, who leads the government’s team in the minimum wage negotiations, reiterated the administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare. He described Abia under Otti as labour-friendly, highlighting the consistent payment of workers’ salaries by the 28th of every month.
Ajagba absolved the state government of accusations of non-implementation of the minimum wage and urged workers to remain cooperative as their concerns were being addressed.
Relatedly, the Ondo State chapter assured government workers that the new minimum wage would be reflected in their November salaries.
The acting chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr Ademola Olapade, disclosed this yesterday in Akure while addressing journalists on the proposed national strike over the delay in implementing the new minimum wage in some states.
Olapade, who also leads the labour team in the state’s minimum wage negotiations, confirmed that the Ondo State government had finalised arrangements to commence payment by next week.
“We are not going to join the strike in Ondo State because, on our side, we have concluded arrangements with the state government.
“The payment was supposed to commence last week but was delayed due to an error, which has now been corrected.
“So, by the grace of God, workers in Ondo State, including local government workers, will start receiving their November salary with the new minimum wage by next week,” Olapade said.
He reiterated the union’s commitment to prioritising the welfare of workers in the state.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa announced N73,000 as the new minimum wage for civil servants in Ondo State on October 14, with an implementation date set for November 2024.
This came as the Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, refuted the NLC’s claims that the state failed to implement the National Minimum Wage for public sector workers.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Malam Ibraheem Musa, the state government maintained that the lowest-paid civil servant in Kaduna received N72,000 as gross salary in November, confirming compliance with the Federal Government’s minimum wage law.
The statement criticised the NLC’s focus on consequential adjustments, describing it as a misunderstanding of the difference between salary increments and the minimum wage.
The government emphasised that its fiscal capacity is already stretched, with monthly revenue of N12 billion largely allocated to salaries and loan repayments, leaving minimal funds for developmental projects that serve Kaduna’s 10 million residents.
The government urged the labour union to exercise patience regarding consequential adjustments, reiterating its commitment to workers’ welfare.
It also highlighted initiatives such as free transportation for civil servants as proof of its labour-friendly stance while stressing the importance of balancing workers’ demands with the need to fund broader developmental priorities.
