The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Zamfara State Council, has demanded immediate implementation of the N30,000 new national minimum wage, failure of which will force it to join the body’s proposed nationwide strike.
This is contained in a communique by Zamfara NLC Chairman, Sani Halliru and acting Secretary, Ahmad Abubakar in Gusau, on Saturday.
According to the communique, “The SEC in session is not satisfied with the minimum level consideration and treatment being accorded labour issues by the state government and its officials.”
The communique said “all efforts to interface with Governor Bello Matawalle and brief him on the current realities have proved abortive.
“Having clearly observed that all doors to reach out to him have been shut down to the congress by some key designated government officials, the Sec-in-Session resolved to collectively comply with national directives on strike for non-implementation of the new national minimum wage if not properly engaged for discussion by the state government,” the communique said.
“We charged the state government to ensure appropriate data on death and retirement being recorded in the civil service as the two create surplus financial vacuum to support the government in actualizing its constitutional duty of implementing the new minimum wage.
“The N100 million offered by the state government for the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage across board in all the payment point is too meager as the projected table of the said amount is nothing to write home about,” it said.
The meeting further condemned the monthly presentation of stagnant salary figure by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for the preparation of salaries.
According to the communique, the meeting called on the state government to punish any civil servants or public servants involved in the act.
“The proposed national rally as directed by the NLC national leadership on subsidy removal would be promptly observed on January 27, by the state congress to demonstrate their concern to the plight of Nigerians on the current economic hardship.
“The leadership was charged to follow up all pending promotions/annual increment of civil servants at both state and local governments as the constant outcry of civil servants in the state is solely becoming uncontrollable by the leadership of the congress.
“The government is not ready to listen to our complaints owing to the fact that officials of the congress are doing the needful to address the civil servants on those issues.
“The meeting further called on the state government to intervene on the current ongoing 168 Housing Units Daza eviction process by the Federal Mortgage Bank, having identified the wrongful allocation of the houses by the previous administration,” it said.
The communiqué said that NLC would not allow its members and their families to be rendered homeless as a result of inability of other officials in the past.
The meeting ended with special prayers for the restoration of peace and security in the state and for government’s quick response to the identified pressing issues bedeviling the workers.
The NLC, however, expressed satisfaction with the commitment of the Matawalle administration in addressing major security challenges in the state.
The meeting urged the state government to put in more effort to restore law and order in parts of state where communities were being attacked.
The union condoled with the state government over the recent attacks on some communities in Anka and Bukkuyum LGAs which resulted to the loss of lives of innocent citizens and properties.
The state NLC also appreciated the National President, Ayuba Wabba, for his official condolence message to the state government on the recent bandits attacks.
