N35,000 Wage Award: “We Have Not Received A Dime From The Federal Government” – Gov Otti

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has stated that the State Government has not received a dime as cash back-up for the much touted N35,000 Federal Government wage award to civil servants in the country.

This is even as he promised to reconcile the hazy situation surrounding Organized Labour’s claim of not being paid in line with the 2019 approved N30,000 minimum wage with the Government’s record pointing to the contrary.

Governor Otti who spoke on Friday July 12, 2024, at a meeting with the Leadership of the Workers Unions – the NLC and TUC Abia state Chapters – insisted that no funds have been released to the State Government for the implementation of the wage award.

The Source reports that the meeting came on the heels of a notice of an indefinite industrial action served on the State Government by the Organized Labour.

In a letter issued jointly by the Leaderships of the State’s NLC and TUC to the Governor last week, the umbrella bodies of workers in Abia State warned that they have concluded plans for the workforce to commence a strike action from July 15, 2024, to press home their demands for the implementation of both the approved 2019 N30,000 minimum wage and the Federal Government’s N35,000 wage award.

They, however, noted that the impending industrial action could be averted if the State Government can open negotiations.

Debunking wide speculations about the release of funds for the wage award, the Governor stated: “There have been misleading information all over the place that the Federal Government has given money to the State Governments for the implementation of the wage award.

“Last time I checked ,there was no such money. The State has not received a dime from the Federal Government to implement any wage award” the Governor maintained.

Similarly, concerning the claim by labour that the State Workers are yet to be captured in the N30,000 2019 minimum wage, he directed the State Accountant General to liaise with the Labour Unions to reconcile the issue, with a view to establishing the actual structure being used to pay workers in the State.

The Labour Leadership had claimed that while workers at the  State level are collecting N 21,100, those in Local Councils are being paid N18,000 as minimum wage .

“I have seen the payroll, and I can’t see any worker that is being paid less than N30,000 monthly.

“May be  something is wrong somewhere, and I will like the Accountant General to please go and look into that because what is available to me is that we are complying with the payment of the minimum wage of N30,000, with the least paid worker receiving N31,100, monthly.

“So when I read in the Media that we are among the States not complying with the payment of the minimum wage, I took it as a hatchet man job.

“But since you (NLC ,and TUC Leaders) have repeated the same, it then means something is wrong somewhere, and I will like to see a reconciliation happen between the Organized Labour and the office of the Accountant General.

“Luckily, the Accountant General is here. So I am directing that between now and the next one week, I need to be sure that sometimes it happens” the Governor stated.

He also assured the leadership of the workers unions of the readiness of the state Government to implement the new proposed minimum wage once it is agreed upon.

According to him ,the Abia state Government is totally in agreement with the proposed up ward review of workers wages in view of the harsh economic realities in the country occasioned by the removal of petroleum subsidies ,floating of the Naira ,and their attendant inflationary trend .

Further speaking ,Governor Otti, insisted that the recent reversal of Command promotions in the civil service was informed by the need to restore sanity to the system .

He noted that the command promotion ,was totally bastardized by the immediate past adminstration in the state.

Not withstanding ,the Governor assured that all regular promotions, and other privileges will go on normal,.

He directed the Accountant General to take steps to pay the  leave allowances of workers ,adding that all efforts are being made to pay arrears of salaries being owed to ABSU ,Abia Poly, College of Education ,College of Health and ASUBEB and others .

Currently, according to Governor Otti, virement is being sought from the Abia state House of Assembly to cover the financial challenges of the arrears . He however, maintained that the payments will be effected in tranches .

To avoid further misunderstanding between Organized Labour and the Government ,the Governor announced that a ministry of labour will soon be created ,with the headship drawn from the rank of organized Labour.

Abia NLC  Chairman ,Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro ,while appreciating the good working relationship between the state Government and the organized labour, however attributed the strike notice to some unresolved problems, such as N30,000 minimum wage ,N35,000 wage  award and the non consultation of the workers Unions in the course of the verification of civil servants.