Minimum Wage: Kwara Govt abandons scheduled meeting with labour
By Mumini AbdulKareem
Kwara State government has reportedly backtracked from a meeting it had scheduled with the leadership of the labour unions in the state over the lingering minimum wage imbroglio, National Pilot has reliably gathered.
The government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) among other stakeholders had fixed what a source described as a “crucial meeting” scheduled for last week to arrive at a common ground over the issue.
Although the labour leaders confirmed the planned meeting last night which had been scheduled to hold “either Thursday or Friday”, last week, findings however revealed that no such meeting eventually took place.
Some of the union leaders who spoke on the issue expressed discordant tones regarding the position of the government over the matter.
While the NLC chairman of the State, Comrade Isa Ore said negotiation was still ongoing on it, adding that the picture will be clearer this week, his counterpart in the TUC, Comrade Ezekiel Adegoke said the government (did) not call the unions to any meeting as planned last week.
“Yes, we were supposed to meet Thursday or Friday last week, but the government has not called us to any meeting. So we don’t know what is going to happen”, he noted.
He however said his tenure as acting chairman of TUC will wind down on Saturday and “I will no longer be the chairman. So the new person will continue with the minimum wage negotiation”.
But according to Ore, there is an ongoing meeting but it has not been concluded. However when pressed further whether the last meeting eventually took place and its details, Ore said “I said we have been having meetings and we will let the whole world know, adding that issue of local government is what is responsible for the delay.
For his part, the state chairman of the NUT, Comrade Olu Adewara said “I don’t have any information for now regarding the issue as we have not reached any reasonable conclusion. Negotiation is still ongoing and hopefully by next week; we will have something to say. There was to be a meeting last week but there was none. The government decided not to call it is when they call that we can attend and they gave no reason”, he submitted.
But it was gathered that the situation has caused anxiety among the civil servants in the state many of whom have expressed uncertainty over the present state of affairs.
Many of the workers who spoke on the issue based on anonymity for fear of victimisation lamented the scenario in Kwara State over the issue of the minimum wage.
“We don’t even know what the true picture of things now. There are some among the workers that are faulting the labour leaders of not doing enough while others believes their last industrial action should have been exploited to the letter until the government fulfilled its promise to pay the minimum wage. There is this growing anxiety as to what will happen next in Kwara especially after neighbouring states like Osun, Ogun among other have signed the bill into law directing immediate implementation.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Commissioner for Communication, Harriet Afolabi Oshatimehin to the story were not successful as she did not answer questions put across to her.
Meanwhile, a group, the Kwara Stakeholders Forum, has continued to accused the government of insincerity on the issue of the payment of the new minimum wage of N30,000. According the coordinator of the forum, Hon Ayanshola Mohammed during a radio programme, the new wage was not accommodated in the budget submitted by the government last year to the legislature adding that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq should do the needful through supplementary budget proposal to the House of Assembly over the issue.