Minimum Wage: Ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, Kwara Govt, Labour fail to reach agreement after 2 days negotiation
….meeting continues, today
By Mumini AbdulKareem
Ahead of the Friday (tomorrow) deadline set by labour for state governments to conclude all issues of consequential adjustment for the smooth implementation of the new minimum wage, the Kwara State Government and Labour Unions in the state are yet to reach an agreement over the matter.
This development is coming despite a marathon meeting between both parties that began on Tuesday and continued yesterday.
After hours of negotiation still on Wednesday, both parties however failed to reach consensus on the matter. It was gathered that a final round of talks has been agreed for Friday (today) scheduled for 6pm at the Ministry of Finance.
The unions are expected to come out with a position whether to embark on strike or not depending on the final outcome of the tripartite meeting.
Speaking in a telephone chat with National Pilot last night over the issue, the chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Yunus Saliu who confirmed the shift till Friday (today) said the parties are yet to finalise the issue of the consequential adjustment.
“The government worked out the adjustment on the table they have and we rejected it because we felt its more than that. But everything will be decided tomorrow. Maybe they will meet the governor tomorrow over the issue. They have been coming to the negotiation with different tables but today’s own was a bit different.
On his part, the Chairman of the Kwara State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) Comrade Toyin Saliu said although progress has been made, there are gray areas that still need to be sorted out and we are going for that Friday.
“We have reminded them of the Friday deadline and the need to reach consensus before them”, he added. Another union leader who also attended the meeting said the union cannot guarantee industrial harmony in the state after the deadline has lapsed.
As things stand now, a source who also attended that meeting last night said nothing is guarantee yet depending on the altitude of government at the Friday meeting.
The tripartite meeting involved State Government, Nigeria Labour Congress, National Union of Local Government Employees, Nigerian Union of Teachers and Trade Union Congress that commenced on Tuesday was said to have been deadlocked.
But the State Commissioner for Finance and Planning, Mrs. Oyeyemi Olasumbo Florence on Wednesday denied it.
“In all honesty, the committee and the state government under the leadership of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq are serious about the task ahead of it and I am glad to inform the public that the negotiation has reached a critical stage which will fast track the drafting and timely submission of our report as soon as possible”, she added.
She reassured civil servants and members of the public that the Committee is sincere with the task as Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has given them mandate to work assiduously with all labour unions to ensure that no stone is left unturned.
She commended the unflinching support and cooperation of all the parties involved in the negotiation processes, reiterating that the Governor has reinstated policies that take care of the welfare of state civil servants and Kwarans as a whole.
