The non-completion of negotiations, and ultimately, reaching a decision, on a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers is worrisome, according to the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
This was as TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, called on the Bola Tinubu-led Administration to quicken action on the issue.
Osifo, speaking to journalists, also bemoaned the inability of some states in the Niger-Delta region of the country to pay their workers the wage awards nor palliatives despite receiving huge sums of money from the Federation Account.
He, however singled out Imo, Delta and Benue States.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that today, we are facing economic hardship and based on this, at the federal level, we engaged the Federal Government as you are aware, from last year, which culminated in the signing of the communique on October 2, 2023.
“And after that communique was signed, we also empowered our respective state councils to follow up with their state government to ensure two things. One, put in place palliative. Palliative is for the immediate, palliative is not a permanent solution to the economic downturn that we are facing today as a country, palliative could solve immediate challenges, but it will not be able to meet them in the long run. Palliative cannot solve our problems.
“So that is why we were also yearning for a sustainable and robust solution, a solution that would meet the yearnings of the Nigerian workers and indeed the Nigerian masses because that is why the governments are elected from the federal to the local government level.
“We collated report across the various states in the country and, in that report, we could see that some states have been doing well in terms of payment of wage awards, in terms of putting palliatives in place and in terms of putting in place a more robust and a substantive solution to solving the issues that we have today as a country.
Meanwhile, he praised some states for finding their workers worthy of being rewarded handsomely for what they offer.
“Some of these states that are worthy to be mentioned are Borno, Oyo, Lagos, Kaduna, Rivers, Yobe, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, and the Federal Capital Territory.
“But we have some states that have done nothing. They have done next to nothing. Even some states in the Niger Delta that are receiving over N20b per month, have literally done nothing to solve the economic challenges of today and also put in place a sustainable solution for tomorrow.
“And top on that list is Benue. Benue State has done nothing for the workers. Benue State has done nothing for the masses as well. Nothing has been done in Benue. So, we hereby call on the government of Benue to put in place, robust mechanisms to solve the economic challenges that our members and the masses are passing through in the state.
“And also, there is Anambra State. We are a bit surprised because we felt if that state is being led by an economist, he should be able to put on his thinking cap, he should be able to put in place a sustainable solution that will appease the masses of that state. But Anambra also falls in this category.
“Then the state of Imo and the same thing Delta. Delta tops the list of states that collect fat allocation from the Federation Account. Delta is number one on that list. It is surprising to know that the Delta State governor is doing nothing to uplift the plight of workers. So, we hereby call on him that, as the state governor, he promised a lot when he was on electioneering campaign. Now the talk is over, this is the time to act.
“Also, Akwa Ibom should do much more, because these are states with means these are states with huge amount of revenue. They should do much more. Then also are Kebbi and Katsina. We strongly believe that what they are doing is piecemeal and that they should up the ante.”
Speaking on, Osifo lampooned the Federal Government for failing to pay the wage award for March and April.
He, however, charged the NEC to act and compel the necessary body to make the payment, as availability of money to purchase goods and commodities is the only way to re-inflate the economy.
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