The national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have threatened to shutdown Zamfara State Government over non compliance in paying the National minimum wage of Thirty Thousand Naira (N30,000).
In a letter signed and sent to the state Governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle and copied to Security agencies and the media by the National President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said, Zamfara State is the only state all over the federation that refused to implement the National minimum wage which was duly signed into law since April, 2019.
The national president who reminded the state government on the consequences of the failure to implement the National minimum wage said, “section 10 and 14 of the national minimum wage act, 2019 went to prescribe other penalties violations including additional penalty not exceeding N10,000 for each day the violation persists”.
Mr Ayuba Wabba lamented that, in few years back, Zamfara State Government was the first state all over the federation to implement the N5,500 national minimum wage which the then government paid N6800 which above the national minimum wage, saying now “the reverse is the case” as some of the state workers earn as low as N8000 as monthly salary which he described as very ridiculous wages.
“In support of the 21 day Ultimatum by workers in Zamfara State for the government to offset the arrears of the national minimum wage owed them, we urge the state government to use this window to redeem itself. Open expiration of this window, the Congress will mobilize workers all over Nigeria to storm Zamfara State in solidarity industrial actions with Zamfara State workers” the letter read in part.
It could be recalled that, the Zamfara State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, had on 16th September, 2022 issued a 21 day Ultimatum to the state government to implement the National minimum wage which will expire on the 6th October, 2022.
Abdulrazak Kaura