The government of Bayelsa State has expressed willingness to implement the N30,000 minimum wage being proposed by organised labour unions across the country.
The Head of Service, Sir Luka Obiri, stated this when the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress led a peaceful protest to Government House in Yenagoa.
He said that Governor Seriake Dickson has directed the office of the Head of Service and State Finance team to work out modalities to implement the payment of the N30, 000 minimum wage.
According to him: “We hear that government and labour unions are still meeting over the issue but rest assured that the State government would implement any decision that is arrived at the meeting.
“The governor has directed me to tell you that the State government is in full support of the struggle for the improved minimum wage for workers across the country.
“He also directed me to announce to you that the State government will implement the N30,000 minimum wage that has been agreed upon by the labour unions and the Federal government.
“He has directed the office of the Head of Service and the State Finance Committee to work out modalities for the implementation of the new minimum wage.”
While addressing the Head of Service who received the protesting workers, the National President of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWU), Comrade Joy Bio-Josiah, thanked the state government for its kind gesture.
He said: “The state government in 2007 issued a formal circular adopting the federal salary structure for civil servants in the State. And since then, the state government has not deviated from that arrangement. For this reason, we want to thank you immensely.”
He also called on Nigerians to ignore claims by the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, that government didn’t reach an agreement with labour unions to pay the N30,000 minimum wage.
“At the end of negotiations, the tripartite committee set to look into the issue of improved minimum wage reached an agreement and signed a document that clearly stated that the new minimum wage should be N30, 000.
“So we were surprised when the minister told Nigerians that the federal government didn’t enter an agreement with labour unions to pay N30,000 as the new minimum wage. His claims are not only false but absurd.”
Meanwhile, the NLC has given the Federal government up to November 6 to meet its demand of N30,000 minimum wage and nothing less. The union leaders led a nation-de protest to sensitise the citizenry on the issue.
In Lagos, the protest caused a heavy gridlock stretching from the Ojuelegba axis of Ikorodu road to Freedom Park in Ojota, forcing motorists to move slowly behind them.
Similar protests were reported in other states across the country.
The workers said the sensitisation became necessary as the labour union has remained calm and adopted dialogue with the government since the expiration of the minimum wage review in 2016.
In Osun, members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other workers unions embarked on solidarity protest Tuesday, to push for the payment of N30,000 minimum wage.
Though the demonstration was peaceful with policemen providing security cover, the protesters, who converged on the popular Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, around 9.15 am moved to Olaiya junction and later marched to Oke-Fia roundabout.
They stated that their protest was in compliance with the directives from the national body of the labour movement to sensitise the public on the need for the government to pay N30,000 minimum wage to public workers in Nigeria.