Minimum Wage: NLC issues fresh 14-day ultimatum to Kogi Govt

The Organized Labour in Kogi State, has issued a fresh 14-day ultimatum to the Kogi State Government, to implement the N30,000.00 new minimum wage or it will embark on an indefinite strike action.

The Kogi State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Onuh Edoka, handed down the ultimatum, while addressing newsmen in Lokoja, earlier today, Friday January 21, shortly after the meeting of labour leaders.

He explained that the strike action, will take effect at the expiration of the two-week ultimatum, which begins from 25th January, 2022.

Our Kogi State Correspondent reports that Comrade Edoka, said the Governor Yahaya Bello administration, has not added any value to workers, since it came on board in 2016.

The NLC Chairman, noted that the committee on minimum wage set up on 14th February 2020 by Governor Bello, had refused to submit its report for the implementation of the new minimum wage and its consequential adjustment of 23 percent.

Edoka, stated that the Bello administration, has refused to cash back promotion arrears for workers and has continued to pay percentage salaries to Local Government workers as well as Pensioners in the State, without considering the present economic hardship.

“The House has resolved that all workers of Kogi State, should note that an ultimatum will be served on the State Government as from 25th January, 2022. And to this end, the ultimatum served on the Government will be 14 days. And after the 14 days, all workers of the state will proceed on an indefinite strike action.

“It was equally resolved that this government has not added any value to workers since the inception of this administration on the following ground. This government has not implemented promotion with cash backing for Kogi workers since its inception. The last promotion that was implemented in Kogi State was in 2013. To this end, Kogi workers have been on the same salary which they have been upon since 2011.

“It was equally resolved that the value not added to Kogi Workers include none payment of leave bonus, none implementation of annual increment. At the end, the livelihood of Kogi workers have always been the same and making the workers completely poor.

” It was equally resolved in this House that the percentage salary paid to Kogi workers at the Local Government level, inclusive teachers, pensioner’s and health workers be brought to an end with immediate effect.  

 “It was equally resolved in this House that in view of this, the Kogi State Government should ensure that labour be engaged in fruitful discussion or else nothing will stop the strike action as it ought to be as the ultimatum will begin on the 25th and it will expire on the date therein”, he stressed.

While noting that the planned industrial action will cover all categories of workers in Kogi State, Edoka added:  “Once you are a State Government workers or Local Government workers, you must be part of this strike. It is so annoying that since 2020, that a committee was put in place to return it report within four weeks, have tuned to become exactly two years. The union in this state and the entire leadership, including workers have continued to show understanding to the government of the day that is why we never allowed any dispute.

“But this understanding have been taking for granted and have shown fully that we the leaders of various unions in this state and workers don’t understand what our rights really look like. I say this because it is until the national headquarter had directed us to proceed on an indefinite strike that we are now waking up from our slumber to join the strike”.

While apologizing to Kogi workers for not yielding to their call to embark on an industrial action in the last two years, Edoka said all efforts to meet with the Government to improve the welfare of workers, had proved abortive.

“It is an understanding to show peace and understanding for any leadership to succeed. But this has been eroded by the actions of the Kogi State Government”, he said.

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