Determined to put smiles on the faces of its workers, Enugu State Government has inaugurated an 11-man committee comprising of six
government officials and five labour leaders to brainstorm and achieve a favourable consequential salary adjustment on the new wage for implementation of the new minimum wage.
The committee will also review the implication of paying the 13th month salary in line with general economic circumstances of the state.
Chairman of the Joint Public Service
Negotiating Council Comrade Chukwuma Igbokwe,
said the state government took the action
following a letter to the government by the council on the issue. In
the letter, the organized labour reiterated its willingness to partner
with the state government through the Joint Public Service Negotiating
Council to ensure a smooth implementation of the new minimum wage, that the implementation
of N30,000 new minimum wage approved by the federal government would take off in Enugu State .
The labour union had recently warned that it would shut down any
state that failed to conclude all negotiations on the ‘consequential
adjustment’ and begin full implementation of the new wage by December
31.
It said that organised labour would not guarantee industrial
harmony in any state that failed to implement the new wage. The
congress noted that organised labour in the states would work in
harmony to ensure that all workers enjoyed the new national minimum
wage.
Igbokwe added that with the inauguration of the
committee on December 9th, and from the look of things, Enugu may be
the first State in the South East geo-political zone to implement the
new minimum wage with its consequential adjustments.
Government ‘s representatives at the committee were Secretary to the state
government, Commissioner for Labour and Productivity; Commissioner for
finance; Commissioner for Budget and Planning; Accountant-General of
the state and Permanent Secretary, Economic Affairs; office of the
Secretary to the government, who will serve as secretary; while the
labour is represented by Comrade Chukwuma Igbokwe, Comrade Jude
Ugwuoke, Comrade Nnubia C Comrade Tim Ojielo Ezea. and Comrade Anthony Ugwu.
