As workers celebrate May Day on Wednesday, they commended the federal government on the N30,000 minimum wage and called for immediate implementation.
Some of them who spoke in Abuja said that they have mixed feeling on the implementation of the new minimum wage.
Mr Ibrahim Khaleel, President, National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), said that workers were excited about the new minimum wage but still fearful about the disposition of state governors on its implementation.
Khaleel said that workers saw the new minimum wage as an increase in their purchasing power which would address some of their challenges.
He, however, said the negative disposition of some governors from the onset of the struggle brought about the uncertainty of compliance which is a major concern to workers.
“We have 36 governors who by implication manage the affairs of seven hundred and seventy four local governments including development centres in some states.
“We know some governors will be ready to implement the new minimum wage, we are worried about those governors that their disposition from the onset of this struggle has been negative.”
Mr Isa Aremu, member of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) said that it is high time the governors set good example by implementing the new minimum wage.
Aremu said the new wage was not restricted to the public sector but to the private sector as well and that every governor was expected to respect the rule of law.
“We cannot renegotiate what has been passed into law. We only await implementation and this is the 5th national minimum wage increment.
“There are sanctions such as fine and imprisonment for whoever will not comply and the NLC will push for prosecution of whoever will default,” he said.
However, Mr Innocent Ajiji, the President General of Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NUR), said that the government should start paying the new minimum wage with immediate effect.
He said that the implementation of the new minimum wage would make workers happy as the federal government had promised.
“My expectation is that government would start paying thirty thousand naira with immediate effect as they promised to make all the workers happy.”
Mr Akpausoh Akpausoh, the General Secretary of Radio Television Theater Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU), commended the federal government on its approval of the N30,000 minimum wage.
He tasked the state governors on the implementation to lighten the mood of workers.
According to him, the fight for media salary structure is still on and will be the next level of action.
“Of course, RATTAWU is the union that champions the media salary structure and as soon as this minimum wage settles, we are going to move in place”.
