Nasarawa Govt, Workers Agree On Promotion First Before New Minimum Wage

By Ayodele Oni

Nasarawa State government and organized labour have agreed to commence immediate implementation of all outstanding promotions for civil servants in the state before commencement of payment of the new minimum wage.

Abdullahi Sule  announced the approval at a meeting with the organized labour and its affiliates  in Lafia.

The governor’s decision followed the request by the leadership of the union that outstanding promotions from 2018 to date be implemented before payment of the new minimum wage of N70,000.

Speaking at the meeting, Sule said that he  called for the engagement because the government had concluded plans to begin implementation of the new minimum wage in August with three months arrears.

“I have promised the people of the state that we will pay the new minimum wage when it was finally agreed and signed into law.

“I believe that we will be able to work out a template and pay arrears of May, June, and July, while August will take off with the new wage.”

The governor also noted that he made commitment to the union more than two months ago to implement all outstanding promotions.

He directed the Accountant General of the state to commence implementation of the outstanding promotions from August with one month of the arrears of July as demanded by the union.

Sule also agreed with the suggestion of the organized labour to set up a minimum wage implementation committee that would commence work once the template was ready.

“The committee will wait for the template from the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) before negotiation with the union will begin in the state, since that is what you want.”

In his remarks, Mr Ismaila Okoh, state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), who spoke on behalf of organized labour, appreciated the governor for all he had done workers in the last five years of his administration.

The NLC chairman also lauded the governor’s intentions to implement the new minimum wage.

He, however, said that the workers wanted their promotions to be implemented first.

“More so that we are still expecting the template for implementation of the new minimum wage from NSIWC before a committee of the union that will discuss with the government in line with the collective bargaining process.

“The implementation of the new minimum wage from NSIWC before a committee of the union that will discuss with the government in line with the collective bargaining process.

“The implementation of outstanding promotions should come first and that of the minimum wage will come after we receive the template.”