The minimum wage controversy has refused to die down in Enugu State even after the government at the center has signed the agreements and other states have started paying. NNAMDI MBAWIKE reports.
Few months ago, President Goodluck Jonathan signed the N18, 000 national minimum wage bill into law. Prior to the approval of the minimum wage, there were prolonged negotiations, protests, threat of strikes, warning strikes and crises between the government and the organized labor.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Bala Mohammed, had said then that President Jonathan deserved the support of workers because his administration was labour-friendly. Unfortunately, against the expectations of the Federal Government, the new minimum wage is now generating lots of controversies following different interpretations of the new wage by workers and governors.
Following what many have described as the ambiguous nature of the new wage, many state governors have incurred the wrath of workers because of the latter’s proposed salary chart.
Before the approval of the minimum wage, there was a harmonious relationship between the Enugu State Government led by Governor Sullivan Chime and its workers.
The harmonious relationship followed Governor Chime,s heavy investment in the welfare of workers. He also cleared arrears of salaries and allowances it inherited from his predecessor.
Besides, Chime recalled workers who were unjustly disengaged by his predecessor and re-absorbed indigenes of the state who were sacked by neighboring state. Regrettably, the new minimum appears to have strained the harmonious relationship between for Governor Chime and the organized labour. Things have fallen apart and the center can no longer hold.
Just last week, labour leaders In Enugu declared a three day warning strike to drive home their demand for full implementation of their interpretation of the new minimum wage.The warning strike followed the inability of the organized Labour and Enugu State Government to reach a compromise on the N18, 000 minimum wage.
The warning strike which commenced on Wednesday last week grounded to a halt, activities in ministries and parastatals in Enugu State .Our correspondent who went round Enugu discovered that all the gates leading to the state ministries and parastatals at the Secretariat were under lock and key.
Sources at Nsukka, Udi and Agbani as well as other local government areas of the state disclosed that workers did not also show up in their yesterday.
The warning strike came barley two weeks the state governor, Sullivan Chime announced that his regime would pay the N18, 000.00 minimum wage.
Before the warning strike, the organised labour leaders in the state which included the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joint Public Service Negotiation Council (JPSNC) had at a rally, ordered that workers of the state government would stay away from their offices for three days beginning from Wednesday.
The state chairman of the NLC, Comrade Chumaife Nze, had while speaking with newsmen, alleged that the officials of the state government had shunned meeting them for dialogue.
He alleged that the government officials failed to meet them last Friday. The labour leader frowned at the alleged state government’s circular dated August 4, 2011 and signed by the head of service, Mr.Denis Eze that only N10,000.00 would be added to salary of levels 01 to 06 and N5,000.00 to levels 07 and above, insisting that workers rejected the proposal.
He said: “We called a rally of the workers to address them on how far we have gone, and the position was that Enugu State workers have rejected the chart prepared by government. After today’s meeting, they still reiterated that they don’t want that chart and they have decided that we should go on strike.
“We tried to convince them to give government an ultimatum but they said no and we have to do the wish of the workers. But rather than going on an indefinite strike, we decided to first embark on a three-day warning strike because the governor himself had invited us for a meeting by 2:30 pm today.
“So, based on that, we decided it was reasonable to give him that respect; and we are ready for the dialogue and shall be there to hear what they have to say.” He stated.
He pointed out that, if after the strike, and government position remains unpalatable, the workers will reconvene and decide on the next line of action to press home their demand.
Reacting to the warning strike and allegations of workers against it, Enugu State government said it was quite regrettable that workers did not even deem it appropriate to give any notice to their employers before embarking on the strike action as stipulated by the extant labour laws.
The state commissioner of information, Mr Chuks Ugwoke, who disclosed the position of the government to newsmen , said the strike was caused by the insistence by Labour that government must increase the salaries of all the workers according to a salary chart computed by them in addition to the implementation of the minimum wage.
Ugwoke said in the press conference attended by the commissioner for Labour, Mrs Vivienne Eze, head of service , Nze Dennis Eze that it was necessary to emphasize that the Enugu State Government has fully complied with the implementation of the payment of the minimum wage with effect from this month.
“Today, the crux of the matter is that the State Government has made it clear that its current financial resources cannot support the workers proposed salary chart.
“It is most regrettable that Labour chose to blackmail the state government by embarking on strike and creating the erroneous impression that the government is unwilling to implement the minimum wage law. In fact, the reverse is the case in that government has complied with the law and also upwardly adjusted the salaries of all cadres,” Ugwoke said.
Unfortunately, despite the assurance by the state government that it was ready to commence full implementation of the minimum wage this month, the organized labour had refused to soft pedal. Following the allegations and counter allegation by workers and the state government, many people are finding it difficult to find out who is at fault.
While some have blamed the state government, others have described the aggrieved workers as greedy and selfish. But whichever way, only time will tell who is at fault at the end of the tussle between the duo, just as it remains to be seen how the seeming logjam would end.
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