by Nurat Uthman
The Organised Labour in Abia State, on Sunday, suspended its seven-day strike ultimatum it issued to the state government, scheduled to begin today (Monday).
The labour union had threatened a strike over the government’s inability to sit for a dialogue over the payment of the expired N30,000 minimum wage and the N35,000 palliative wage award, as approved by the Federal Government.
Following the ultimatum, Governor Alex Otti met with the members of the organised labour in the state and directed the state Accountant General to liaise with the union within the next week, to reconcile the actual amount that the least paid worker in the state should receive as minimum wage, among other issues.
The state NLC Chairman, Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro, alleged that the government was currently paying N20,100 while workers in the local governments received N18,000 as minimum wage.
The governor, however, said records available to him showed that the state was paying N30,000 minimum wage.
Otti, at the meeting, noted, “The state has been preparing itself for the implementation of the new national minimum wage.”
He added that there were a lot of reasons to justify an increase in the national minimum wage, including the removal of petrol subsidy, inflation, and harmonisation of the foreign exchange rate, among others.
Addressing the press on Sunday evening, Okoro warned the state government that failure to adhere to and implement the Memorandum of Understanding reached at the meeting by July 28 would force the union to begin an indefinite strike.
He said no other notice would be given to the government to proceed on strike.
Okoro gave the details of the agreement reached with the government to include the payment of the outdated N30,000 minimum wage and the N35,000 palliative wage award as approved by the Federal Government, payment of severance allowances to Directors and Permanent Secretaries compulsorily retired, payment of current leave allowances and payment of three months N15,000 monthly wage award from July to September 2024.
He also said the union advised the state government to look inwards on the payment of gratuity as much as it could.
Also speaking, the State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Ihechi Eneogwe, said for more than one week, the labour had been meeting with the state government on various issues begging the attention of the government.
