Abia labour calls for adjustments to N70,000 minimum wage

Organised Labour in Abia State is pushing for what it terms a “consequential adjustment” regarding the new minimum wage. This demand was articulated following an inconclusive meeting with state government representatives on Wednesday.

Ogbonnaya Okoro, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), addressed the media, stating, “The organised Labour, comprising the NLC, TUC, and JNC, was in the Government House to continue negotiations on the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.”

He detailed that a committee, along with their technical team, had met with the government’s team. “On Friday last week, we submitted our template, and they told us that they would study it and invite us for another round of meetings,” Okoro explained.

He expressed surprise at a recent announcement by the Commissioner for Information, who stated that the government had approved the N70,000 minimum wage.

“We were surprised that yesterday (Tuesday), the Commissioner for Information went on air to inform Abians that the government had approved the N70,000 minimum wage, which took us aback. We asked them which template the government used to approve the N70,000,” he said.

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The ongoing meeting has since been adjourned, with plans to reconvene the following day. Okoro emphasized the need for the government to present its own template.

“We asked the government side to produce their template since organised Labour has submitted its own so that the consequential adjustment negotiating team will bring theirs and the government will bring theirs, and we will disagree to agree,” he said.

“At the end of the day, we will establish a template that all parties will agree to, which will form a circular for the Abia State Government.”

When questioned about the specifics of the consequential adjustment and the union’s proposed template, Okoro clarified, “The N70,000 is a law, and that is for Level 1, Step 1, and it is sacrosanct. You don’t touch or go below it; instead, you increase it. Rivers State increased their minimum wage to N75,000; Cross River, N80,000; but the minimum you can approve is N70,000.”

He further explained, “When we talk about consequential adjustment, it concerns people from Grade Level 1, 2, up to Grade 17, and so forth. There are percentages involved in working out these modalities for everyone. In Abia, we don’t have Levels 1 and 2, but we must start from Level 1 to account for them so that we will know what other levels are due. So for now, the discussion is ongoing,” he concluded.

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