The Trade Union Congress has given January 31 as an ultimatum to state governments who are yet to implement the N30, 000 new minimum wage, noting that failure to comply will lead to industrial action from workers.
The union gave the ultimatum in a communiqué signed by the President, TUC, Quadri Olaleye and the Secretary-General, TUC, Musa Lawal issued at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Lagos on Thursday.
It read in part, “The congress advises all state governments that have not complied with the implementation and immediate payment of the N30, 000 new national minimum wage to commence negotiations and implementation on or before 31st January 2020.
“Otherwise the state governments should be responsible for the consequences of their failure. State councils have been directed to commence mobilisation of their members immediately.”
Meanwhile, the Organised labour on Monday, said it would meet to review the minimum wage negotiations between states and workers across Nigeria.
Ekiti, Cross River, Benue, Gombe, Osun, Sokoto, Oyo, Niger, Ogun, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, Kwara, Taraba and Anambra states have reportedly not agreed on consequential adjustments of salaries.
While Lagos, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kastina and Borno states had agreed to pay the new minimum wage, other states started negotiations few days to the end of the December 31, 2019 deadline.
Olaleye, while commenting on the current status of the minimum wage, noted that six states had signed to commence the implementation, adding that 15 states were negotiating and some would soon conclude negotiations.
He noted that if the states failed to pay the minimum wage, they were disobeying a directive from the President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reminded that labour had earlier given the states a December 31 deadline to comply with the minimum wage payment, Olaleye argued that the December 31 ultimatum did not emanate from the TUC.