Negotiations between the labour unions and the Abia State government are set to continue on Thursday.
Umuahia, Nigeria – The Organised Labour in Abia State has rejected the state government’s proposed implementation of a N70,000 minimum wage, demanding instead a “consequential adjustment” to the salary structure.
Speaking to the press after a negotiation meeting with the state government, which concluded at 7:45 pm on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Ogbonnaya Okoro, explained that the labour unions were dissatisfied with the government’s announcement of the N70,000 figure without prior consultation.
“The Organised Labour, comprising the NLC, Trade Union Congress, and Joint Negotiating Council, met with the government to continue negotiations on the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage,” Okoro said. “We had submitted our template last Friday for review, only to be surprised when the government unilaterally announced the N70,000 minimum wage on air.”
Okoro emphasized that the N70,000 wage applies only to workers on Grade Level 1 Step 1 and should not be less than that. He cited examples of other states, such as Rivers and Akwa Ibom, which raised their minimum wages to N85,000 and N80,000, respectively, noting that the N70,000 figure is the minimum permissible under the law.
He further clarified that the demand for a consequential adjustment refers to the need for proportional increases across all salary grades, from Grade Level 1 through Level 17. “In Abia, we do not have Level 1 and Level 2 workers, but we must still use these levels as a baseline to ensure a proper salary structure for higher grades,” Okoro explained.
Addressing rumors that the government had only added N40,000 to the salary structure, Okoro urged workers to disregard such claims. He reiterated that the goal is to ensure a fair and comprehensive salary structure for all workers. “The federal government approved 133.33% for Level 1, bringing it to N77,500. For Abia, the N70,000 applies to Level 1 Step 1, and we expect increases through the levels to ensure no one feels cheated.”
Negotiations between the labour unions and the Abia state government are set to continue on Thursday.
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