The Nigeria Labour Congress has warned state governors against any delay in the payment of the N30,000 new minimum wage, adding that any form of delay would propel workers to embark on an industrial action.
The Anambra State Chairman of the NLC, Jerry Nnubia, stated this during the quadrennial delegate conference of the congress in the state.
He said, for the governors to be able to implement the new minimum wage, there is need for them to cut down on some of their excesses.
Nnubia noted that the full implementation of the N30, 000 monthly minimum wage would ensure stability in the polity, while urging the governors not to do anything that will enable Nigerian workers take harsh decisions.
He said, “The minimum wage bill is a product of negotiation and with President Muhammadu Buhari signing it into law. We are looking out for a circular to be released and each state is bound to implement it. The state governments have no option but to implement it because they were part and parcel of all the negotiations.
“For us in Anambra State, we have the firm belief that our governor will implement it fully. He has promised us and I am sure we are not going to have challenges in that regard.
“We commend the National Assembly for the speedy passage of the New National Minimum Wage (2019) Amendment Bill and also President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to it on April 18, 2019.
“We, therefore, wish to use this platform to call on the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, to immediately release the implementation table to enable our hard-working and labour-friendly governor, Chief Willie Obiano, who has already firmly promised to be the first governor to pay the new minimum wage to the hard-working workers of Anambra State, to implement the new minimum wage.”